The Maharashtra assembly’s resolution to detain twelve BJP MLAs for one year because of alleged disorderly conduct was thrown out in the Supreme Court.
“Suspending the MLAs for longer than the sessions is illegal and unconstitutional,” the Supreme Court declared today.
The rules state that suspension is only during the session; however, those 12 lawmakers were banned for one year after the session.
They were removed on July 5, last year, by the Assembly after the state government claimed they were “misbehaving” with Speaker Bhaskar Jadhav inside the chamber of the Speaker.
The 12 MLAs are Sanjay Kute, Ashish Shelar, Abhimanyu Pawar, Girish Mahajan, Atul Bhatkhalkar, Parag Alavani, Harish Pimpale, Yogesh Sagar, Jay Kumar Rawat, Narayan Kuche, Ram Satpute and Bunty Bhangdia.
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab introduced a motion for suspension of MLAs and passed by a unanimous vote.
Opposition Leader Devendra Fadnavis had termed the claim as untrue and claimed that Mr. Jadhav’s version about the event was “one-sided.”
“This lies claim and an attempt to cut down the number of benches in opposition due to our disclosure of the falsehood of the government’s OBC (Other Backward Classes) community quota,” Mr. Fadnavis had stated, noting that BJP members were not abusing the chief executive.
