Delhi court upholds BJP MLA’s suspension from Assembly

OP Sharma not only used derogatory remarks but has stood by it and sought to justify the same. The Ethics Committee has recorded that the petitioner in his depositions remained consistently defiant and unrepentant, court said

The Delhi High Court has upheld the suspension of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA OP Sharma from attending the Delhi Assembly for two subsequent sessions stating that his conduct caused obstruction of the legislative function of the House leading to disruption of proceedings for two days.

Sharma not only used unparliamentary language but also made derogatory remarks against a woman legislator, Alka Lamba, during a debate on a public issue (HT File Photo)

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva said that Sharma not only used unparliamentary language but also made derogatory remarks against a woman legislator, Alka Lamba, during a debate on a public issue.

The court said, “The petitioner (Sharma) not only used derogatory remarks but has stood by it and sought to justify the same. The Ethics Committee in its report has recorded that the petitioner in his depositions remained consistently defiant and unrepentant.”

“The committee has recorded that it tried to reason with him all through with the hope that he would realise his mistake and would express regrets. However, he was not amenable to the very thought of being regretful, instead, in the last sitting he had turned accusatory,” it said in a 50-page judgment pronounced on October 30.

The court’s decision came while hearing a plea by Sharma, BJP MLA from Vishwas Nagar, who had sought setting aside of the motion passed by the Assembly on March 31, 2016, whereby he was suspended for two sessions of the Assembly for making derogatory remarks against Lamba, AAP MLA from Chandni Chowk.

The judgment, which was uploaded on high court’s website on Thursday, said that the derogatory remarks were made on the floor of the House and has a direct connection bearing proximity to the duties, role and functions of the petitioner as a legislator.

Reacting to the judgment, Lamba said, “This order has exposed BJP’s respect for women. I wish the party, which flaunts its Beti Bachao slogan, had acted on time on the habitual offender.”