The Supreme Court, on Monday, directed the Rajya Sabha secretariat’s attention towards Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha’s petition. Chadha has raised objections to his suspension from the Upper House, which will remain in force until the privilege committee concludes its inquiry.
Raghav Chadha, an MP from the Aam Aadmi Party, faced suspension from the Rajya Sabha. This action was taken due to his inclusion of the names of five fellow MPs in a select committee without prior consent.
Five Rajya Sabha members, namely S Phangnon Konyak, Narhari Amin, and Sudhanshu Trivedi from the BJP, along with M Thambidurai from AIADMK and Sasmit Patra from BJD, claimed that their names were included in a select committee for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, without their consent.
This controversial bill, which replaced an ordinance governing the transfer and appointment of senior officials in the Delhi government, was approved by both houses of parliament during the monsoon session and received the President’s assent on August 13.
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Union minister Piyush Goyal accused Raghav Chadha of engaging in repeated “gross impropriety and misconduct,” asserting that the MP’s behavior falls far short of the ethical standards expected of a member of the esteemed house. In response to his suspension, Raghav Chadha expressed, “My suspension sends a clear message from the BJP to today’s youth: if you dare to ask questions, we will silence your voice. I was suspended for asking challenging questions that left the BJP, the world’s largest party, without answers during my speech in Parliament on the Delhi Services Bill.” He further stated, “My offense was exposing the BJP’s hypocrisy regarding Delhi’s statehood and urging them to adhere to ‘Advani-vaad’ and ‘Vajpayee-vad’.”
In a move to gather expert opinions, the highest court has summoned the Attorney General. The next hearing in this matter has been set for October 30. On October 10, Chadha took his case to the Supreme Court, challenging the suspension handed down during the Monsoon session. Allegations arose that he had failed to seek consent from five Rajya Sabha MPs before appointing them to the select committee. This suspension will remain in place until the privileges committee completes its investigation and delivers its report.