Chhattisgarh MLA seeks sedition case against Bilaspur DM over invitation to state programme
A legal expert said as per the law no case can be registered against the collector for not printing the MLA’s name on the invitation for the programme
A Congress legislator has written to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel requesting that Bilaspur district collector be charged with sedition for ‘neglecting’ and ‘disrespecting’ local public representatives by not inviting them to the Rajyotsav (statehood celebrations) event as guests.
Shailesh Pandey, who represents Bilaspur assembly constituency, also demanded removal of the Bilaspur collector, Saransh Mittar, in his November 2 letter to the CM.
“This act of the collector amounts to insult of people and the government and it comes under the category of sedition,” he said in his letter.
“The collector Saransh Mittar is continuously insulting your (Baghel) government and elected representatives. As per your direction, Rajyotsav programme was held in all district headquarters on November 1 …The state government sent the list of persons who were to be chief guests ….The MLA (member of the legislative assembly) of the ruling party was not invited (as guests) at the function here. Even MLAs of the opposition party should have been invited. Other public representatives like the mayor, chairman of Zilla Panchayat were also not invited by mentioning their names on the invitation card (as guests of the function),” the letter stated.
Parliamentary secretary Indrashah Mandavi, an MLA from Mohla-Manpur, was the chief guest at the Rajyotsav event in Bilaspur and no other person’s name was mentioned as guests on the invitation card.
A senior IAS official said that the MLA’s demand was weird
“ It was a General Administrative Department ( GAD) programme , which sent a list of dignitaries to the collector . As per the list, the collector puts name on the invitation card. The collector had sent an invitation to MLA and others for the programme, hence it is not a case of disrespect,” said the officer, preferring anonymity.
Also Read: ‘Raghupati Raghav’, ‘Vaishnav Jan’ to be sung in Chhattisgarh schools
A legal expert said as per the law no case can be registered against the collector for not printing the MLA’s name on the invitation for the programme.
“The demand made by the MLA to register a sedition case against collector shows mental bankruptcy as such an offence cannot be registered against the collector for not inviting the MLA as a guest. At best, it is a case of violation of protocol directions… Considering the fact that the Congress as a party is seeking the repeal of sedition clause from the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the demand is weird,” said Sudeip Shrivastva , a lawyer and activist based in Bilaspur.
