NEW DELHI, Nov 3: Finding a way forward to the impasse over the indefinite suspension from the Rajya Sabha of the Aam Aadmi Party member Raghav Chaddha, the Supreme Court on Friday suggested the suspended member submit an unconditional apology to the House chairman and the he considered the apology “sympathetically.”
The court urged the AAP MP to apologise to the Rajya Sabha chairman over his suspension from the house. The court also asked the Rajya Sabha chairman to consider the apology sympathetically. “During the course of the hearing, a way forward has been suggested by both the parties.
The petitioner has suggested he would seek an appointment and apologise on record, which would be considered sympathetically by the Rajya Sabha Chairman,” the court said in its ruling.
Raghav Chadha was suspended from the Rajya Sabha on August 1 for “breach of privilege” after four MPs alleged that he had violated rules by naming them in a House panel without their consent. The Upper House of Parliament passed a resolution moved by leader of the House Piyush Goyal to suspend Mr Chadha till the privileges committee submits its findings.
Mr Chadha was the second AAP MP to be suspended from Rajya Sabha during Parliament’s Monsoon session. Senior leader Sanjay Singh – who was arrested on October 4 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case – was suspended from the Rajya Sabha on July 24.
During today’s hearing Mr Chadha’s lawyer told the court that the AAP leader is ready to meet the Rajya Sabha chairman and apologise in person. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, also agreed that Mr Chadha apologising would be a better option. Both parties have been asked to apprise the court about the progress on November 20.
(Manas Dasgupta)
