Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro on Tuesday directed the departments concerned to ensure that annual audit reports of all Government and private universities placed in the State Assembly during its next session.

The Speaker made the ruling in response to a demand made by Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra in the House on July 20.

“As per the Section 23 (2) of the Odisha Universities Act, 1989, all universities’ annual audit reports need to be placed in the State Assembly. Hence, all department concerned (under which different universities are operating, to place universities’ annual reports in the next session of the Assembly,” said Patro.

In another ruling, the Speaker directed to expunge the derogatory remarks, if made by BJP Member Bishrnu Charan Sethi, against two outsiders, Mani Shankar Iyer and Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday.

He asked all members not to make any allegation against outsiders in the House as per the Parliamentary practice.

Earlier in the day, Congress MLA Mishra had urged the Speaker to expunge Sethi’s remarks against Iyer and Sidhu from the proceedings of the House. He said that Sethi had stated in the House on Monday that Mani Shankar Iyer and Siddhu had made defamatory remarks against the country outside the country.

As Speaker didn’t give any ruling on Mishra’s demand, Congress members rushed into the Well of the House and shouted slogans. The Speaker then called Sethi to keep his version. After listening to Sethi, Patro said he would give his ruling later in the day. Accordingly he gave the ruling.