The Privileges Committee of Lok Sabha on Friday decided to ask Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to appear before it at its next meeting to hear his version on his suspension from the House for “misconduct”.
The committee, chaired by BJP member Sunil Kumar Singh, also appeared to favour recommending to Speaker Om Birla to revoke Chowdhury's suspension after formally hearing his side at its meeting on August 30, Parliament sources said.
Chowdhury was named by Speaker Om Birla for “unruly conduct” on August 11, the last day of the Monsoon session and was suspended from the membership of Lok Sabha pending a report from the Privileges Committee.
At the meeting on Friday, several members were of the view that Chowdhury has been punished for his conduct by Lok Sabha and there was no further need to examine his behaviour by a parliamentary panel. “A person cannot be punished twice for the same offence,” a committee member said, adding that even BJP members took a “soft view” of the issue and were in favour of revocation of Chowdhury's suspension.
Besides Singh, BJP members Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Raju Bista, Ganesh Singh, Janardan Sigriwal, Dilip Ghosh, DMK member T R Baalu, Congress member K Suresh and Trinamool member Kalyan Banerjee attended the meeting on Friday. “As a process of natural justice, the committee has decided to hear Chowdhury's version at its next meeting on August 30,” a committee member said. Chowdhury said he will do his duty as an MP and appear before the committee to present his case.”I am a Member of Parliament. I will abide by the rules of conduct and adhere to the directives of the Privileges Committee.
I will present my case before it.
It is the duty of an MP to appear before the Privileges Committee as per the established norms. I have already elaborated my stand on the allegations levelled against me in public. I will submit them before the Privileges Committee,” the Congress leader in Lok Sabha told the media in his reaction.
After the meeting, a member of the committee from the Opposition cited a Supreme Court order of January 2022, which states that no action can be taken against a legislator after a House session officially ends, and said the same thing should be followed in Chowdhury's case. The member also said the Congress leader had already been suspended and “legally, no one can be punished twice for the same offence”.
After voting on the no-confidence debate against the Narendra Modi government on August 11, the motion for Chowdhury's suspension was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
“This House having taken serious note of the gross, deliberate and repeated misconduct of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in utter disregard to the House and authority of Chair resolves that the matter of his misconduct be referred to Committee of Privileges of the House for the further investigation and report to the House and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury be suspended from the service of the House till the Committee submits its report,” Joshi had said.