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Haryana speaker to seek legal advice if House can discuss sub judice matters
The decision to seek legal advice by the Haryana speaker comes a day after deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa disallowed the already admitted calling attention notice
: Haryana Vidhan Sabha speaker Gian Chand Gupta on Thursday said legal opinion of advocate general as well as legal remembrancer (LR) will be sought in order to clear the ambiguity on whether the House can discuss a sub judice matter when the Vidhan Sabha is in session.
The decision to seek legal advice comes a day after deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa disallowed the already admitted calling attention notice which was listed in the business of the House to be transacted after it emerged that the matter was before a court of law and could not be discussed in the state assembly.
The deputy speaker disallowed the notice after excise and taxation minister Dushyant Chautala informed that the matter was sub judice.
Pandemonium prevailed in the state assembly on Wednesday during the post lunch proceedings as the Congress benches and lone Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA Abhay Singh Chautala contested the decision of the chair to disallow discussion on a calling attention notice pertaining to shortfall of 7.40 lakh boxes of country liquor from wholesale godowns of two contractors in Sonepat district.
During the opening sitting of the winter session also the speaker had disallowed discussion on a question that pertained to a matter which was also sub judice.
“This issue in question requires more clarity and we have decided to seek legal advice of AG as well as LR,” speaker Gupta said, addressing a press conference.
Responding to a question, Gupta said if the government wanted to dodge the discussion on the calling attention notice, he could have rejected the calling attention notice without any question being asked when the MLA had moved it.
“Why would we admit the calling attention notice if we did not want to discuss it in the House. It was disallowed after it was brought to the notice of the House that matter is sub judice. We have disallowed discussion earlier also on sub judice matters. Now, the issue requires clarity,” he said.
