Ex-AAP legislators get a week to reply

Goel, on Tuesday afternoon, had scheduled a personal hearing of Bijwasan and Gandhi Nagar MLAs Devinder Sehrawat and Anil Bajpai, respectively in the case.

Delhi Assembly speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Tuesday gave a week to two rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators to furnish their comments on a petition seeking their disqualification as MLAs.

Suspended AAP MLA Devinder Sehrawat addressing a press conference. (PTI)

Goel, on Tuesday afternoon, had scheduled a personal hearing of Bijwasan and Gandhi Nagar MLAs Devinder Sehrawat and Anil Bajpai, respectively in the case.

The two had defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi last month.

“Neither Sehrawat nor Bajpai came for the hearing. They, however, sent their counsels on their behalf . On the request of the counsels, I have granted time till July 1 for them to furnish their fresh comments on the matter. The next hearing in the case is now scheduled on July 2,” the speaker said.

“The whole case is being handled in a very undemocratic way. While we sent our counsels, the lawyer from the Assembly secretariat’s side was AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar Somnath Bharti. How can we hope of a fair trial this way? I will move court if I am disqualified, especially because there is still lack of clarity on the membership of several AAP MLAs because of the ongoing office of profit case,” said Bajpai.

Sehrawat said he cannot face disqualification as he is yet to take a membership of the BJP.

The disqualification petition was filed by AAP’s Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj. “I was directed by the leader of the legislative party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal to file the petition. Disqualification of Bajpai and Sehrawat has been sought under the Schedule X of the Indian Constitution. By joining the BJP, the two legislators have voluntarily given up the membership of their original party which was the Aam Aadmi Party,” he said.