Rajya Sabha chairman revokes suspension of 11 Oppn MPs ahead of Budget Session

Published on: Jan 30, 2024, 19:05:43 IST

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Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has revoked the suspension of 11 opposition MPs who were held guilty of breach of privilege by the House panel. The privilege committee reportedly recommended the Rajya Sabha chairman that the period of suspension already suffered by the members be treated as "sufficient punishment" for the transgression, reported PTI.

Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. (PTI)

The committee noted that the suspended members would not be able to attend the special address of President Droupadi Murmu to both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, according to the report.

The 11 MPs held “guilty of breach of privilege and contempt of the Council of States” are Congress’s Jebi Mather, L Hanumanthaiah, Neeraj Dangi, Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, and GC Chandrasekhar, CPI’s Binoy Viswam and Sandosh Kumar P, DMK’s Mohamad Abdulla and CPIM’s John Brittas and AA Rahim, from the Rajya Sabha.

As many as 146 MPs were suspended from both Houses of the Parliament during the tumultuous winter session which saw a glaring lapse in the security of the heavily fortified building.

The suspension of 132 MPs came to an end on December 29 when both the houses were prorogued given the punitive action against them was valid only for the session. However, the participation of the remaining 14 MPs, including three Lok Sabha members, in the curtailed Budget session ahead of the general elections remained uncertain.

The 11 suspended MPs from the Rajya Sabha jointly met Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to request him to review their suspension, according to a party leader aware of the matter.

“They also pointed out that the chair should have taken into consideration both the Rules for Suspension and the circumstances before suspending the MPs. As per Rule 256, the Chairman can suspend a member from the service of the Council for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session,” the leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

(With PTI inputs)

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