HC allows Vijender Gupta to attend Assembly session
Asks MLA to maintain dignity, sets aside suspension
The Delhi high court on Friday set aside the oneyear suspension of BJP MLA Vijender Gupta from the Delhi Legislative Assembly and permitted him to attend the remaining budget session while directing him to maintain the dignity of the House. Justice Prathiba M. Singh allowed Mr Gupta’s petition in which he had challenged his one-year suspension from the assembly, but made clear that the court had not examined the merits of the suspension.
Welcoming the court order, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, Delhi high court’s order is a ‘judicial slap’ on the arbitrary conduct of the Assembly proceedings by the Kejriwal government in connivance with the speaker of the Assembly.
“A perusal of the summary of proceedings (of assembly) shows that there was disturbance caused during the sitting of the House both by the petitioner, as also by ruling party members. There is no gainsaying that the Members of the Legislative Assembly or any other elected House have to maintain dignity of the House in order to play a positive role owing to the mandate of the people,” the court said, adding that “the petitioner shall also maintain the dignity of the House”.
On March 21, Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had suspended Gupta till the next Budget Session for allegedly obstructing the proceedings of the House.
The high court perused Rule 277(3)(b) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi which states that “once a member being so suspended, the period of suspension shall be for the first occasion for three sittings, for the second occasion for seven sittings and on subsequent occasions unless otherwise
decided by the House, for the remainder of the session. Provided that any period of suspension shall in no case be longer than the remainder of the session.”