AP Assembly Speaker has three options to tackle Roja issue
The Speaker has not yet decided as to what the next step should be.
Hyderabad: AP Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on Thursday started consultations with legal and legislative affairs experts following the High Court verdict on YSRC MLA R.K. Roja’s suspension.
Government officials, who consulted Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the afternoon, have indicated they prefer an appeal challenging the single judge’s verdict.
A source in AP government told DC, “Impleme-nting the single judge verdict and then preferring an appeal before a larger bench will weaken the Speaker’s argument, hence AP government has alrea-dy filed an appeal.”
As far as implementing the court verdict by the Legislature, the Speaker, who is the custodian and ultimate authority on the entire legislature, has not yet decided as to what the next step should be.
According to informed sources, Mr Sivaprasada Rao is looking into three options. The first option is to file an appeal before a larger bench, and meanwhile not allow Ms Roja to participate in the House proceedings starting from 9 am on Friday. Sources said there are valid reasons to prefer an appeal.
Article 212 of the Constitution restrains courts form intervening in the internal affairs of the Legislature, even if courts find there are certain discrepancies regarding procedures.
Another ground to go for an appeal is that the House is supreme as for disciplining its members. A few decisions taken by earlier Houses as well as the Lok Sabha had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The second option is to honour the verdict and allow Ms Roja to take part in the proceedings and later initiate disciplinary proceedings against her “unruly” behaviour in the House in the last Session by referring the matter to the Assembly Ethics Committee or Privileges Committee, then wait for the committee’s report and act accordingly.
The third option is to totally ignore the orders of the single judge and direct the Assembly staff not to allow Ms Roja to step into the precincts of the Assembly that covers the lobby, Assembly buildings and the legislature hostel.