Results 2024: Can jailed Lok Sabha elections winners take oath?

Legal hurdles for MPs-elect Engineer Rashid and Amritpal Singh in prison after Lok Sabha 2024 win.

Published on: Jun 6, 2024, 08:31:35 IST

By HT News Desk

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Two candidates currently imprisoned on terror charges have won seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, raising questions about how they will take their oaths.

Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid (left) and Amritpal Singh (right). (File)

The Election Commission announced the results on Tuesday. Radical Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh won Punjab's Khadoor Sahib seat, while terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, secured the Baramulla seat in Jammu and Kashmir.

ALSO READ- After stunning Lok Sabha win, Amritpal Singh's lawyer's 'no alternative' warning

Engineer Rashid has been in Tihar jail since August 2019 on terror financing charges, while Amritpal Singh was arrested in April 2023 under the National Security Act and is held in Dibrugarh prison in Assam.

The key question now is whether these newly elected MPs will be allowed to take their oaths, and if so, how. Although the law prevents them from attending House proceedings, they retain the constitutional right to take the oath as Members of Parliament.

Follow- Election results LIVE Updates

Expert explains rules for jailed parliamentarians

Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general, PDT Achari explained the legalities involved. He said that being sworn in as a Member of Parliament is a constitutional right, but because they are currently in prison, they must seek permission from authorities to be escorted to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony. Once they have taken the oath, they will return to prison.

Achari cited Article 101(4) of the Constitution, which deals with the absence of members from Parliament without prior sanction of the Chair. After taking the oath, the MPs will need to inform the Speaker of their inability to attend the House. The Speaker will then refer their requests to the House Committee on Absence of Members. The committee will recommend whether the member should be allowed to remain absent from House proceedings. This recommendation will then be put to a vote in the House by the Speaker.

ALSO READ- Engineer Rashid, Amritpal will need court order to attend Parliament: Experts

What happens if Engineer Rashid or Amritpal Singh get convicted?

If Engineer Rashid or Amritpal Singh are convicted, they would immediately lose their seats in the Lok Sabha. This is based on a 2013 Supreme Court judgment that disqualifies MPs and MLAs in such cases. The decision nullified section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, which previously granted convicted MPs and MLAs three months to appeal their convictions.

(Inputs from PTI)

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