EC's office of profit' notice misinterpreted, says AAP; to challenge order

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party, on Saturday, said that the Election Commission's notice on party MLAs holding an office of profit was "misinterpreted". It further said that it will challenge the order.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the BJP had responded to the EC's notification saying that the AAP ‘did occupy an office of profit’.

“Election Commission’s recent order should not be misinterpreted. High Court of Delhi had declared the order of appointment of 21 parliamentary secretaries as null and void. Therefore there is no question of hearing a petition for office which never existed as per Delhi High Court. However, Election Commission has ordered that it will still hear the petition. All remedies are available to challenge this order of EC. We respect the orders of Hon’ble High Court as well as Hon’ble Election Commission,” party spokesperson and MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj said.

The EC order that comes just before Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi’s resignation from office in July, carried the commission’s deemed opinion that the AAP MLAs indeed held “de facto the office of parliamentary secretaries from March 13, 2015 to September 8, 2016”.

The petition entailing 21 MLAs dated June 23 dropped charges against the ex-Rajouri Garden MLA, Jarnail Singh, who resigned from his post to contest Punjab Assembly elections.

“So finally the noose tightens around corrupt AAP. EC’s verdict that the 21 AAP MLAs did occupy office of profit,” Sambit Patra, a BJP leader and spokesperson tweeted.

Earlier last week, BJP leader Vijender Gupta and leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, made demands of an EC probe in the case against AAP.

However, as given in the report, the Delhi High Court had earlier dropped the order citing that appointment of 21 MLAs as parliamentary secretaries was passed without the Lieutenant Governor’s concurrence.