20 MLAs barred from Budget Session

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Assembly secretariat has issued a circular stating that 20 AAP MLAs who have been disqualified by the President Ram Nath Kovind in th office-of-profit case will not be allowed to take part in the coming Budget Session.

The circular has made it clear that the former lawmakers will not be allowed to take part in the deliberations of the Budget Session of the Assembly.

Though the legislators have since challenged the Election Commission’s (EC) disqualification order in the Delhi high court, they cease to be the members of the  Assembly till the court pronounces its final verdict.

“This is for information of all concerned that as per the order of the President issued by the Union ministry of law and justice vide notification No. S.O. 340 (E) dated 20/01/2018 following 20 members of Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi stand disqualified as members of this Assembly with effect from 20/01/2018,” the notification read.

These 20 AAP legislators include Adarsh Shastri, Anil Kumar Bajpai, Jarnail Singh, Madan Lal, Naresh Yadav, Praveen Kumar, Rajesh Rishi, Sarita Singh, Shiv Charan Goel, Sukhbir Singh Dalal, Alka Lamba, Avtar Singh, Kailash Gahlot, Manoj Kumar, Nitin Tyagi, Rajesh Gupta, Sanjeev Jha, Sharad Kumar, Som Dutt and Vijender Garg.

Earlier, Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel said that the salaries of these legislators have been stopped. All others facilities, which were being provided to these 20 MLAs, have also been stopped. “The salaries of the 20 MLAs, who have been disqualified by the EC have been stopped. Their salaries for the month of February has not been released,” Mr Goel had said.

Sources said other facilities provided to these MLAs have also been stopped by the Assembly Secretariat. With salary and allowances, an MLA gets is around `90,000 per month.

The 20 AAP MLAs have challenged the EC’s order in the high court, which had reserved its order on February 28.

Earlier, on January 24, the HC had refused to stay the Centre’s notification disqualifying the MLAs, but restrained the EC from taking any precipitate measures such as announcing dates for bypolls to fill the vacancies.

In a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party, the EC had in January asked President to disqualify 20 of its legislators for holding offices of profit, setting the stage for their ouster from the state Assembly.

In its opinion sent to the president, the poll panel said that the MLAs, by occupying the post of parliamentary secretaries between March 13, 2015 and September 8, 2016, held offices of profit, and were liable to be disqualified as legislators. The President had okayed the EC’s recommendation and ordered disqualification of the MLAs.