Harish Rao Writes to Speaker; Flags Erosion of Assembly Sanctity and Violation of Rules
Flagging erosion of Assembly sanctity and violation of rules, during the past two years, Harish Rao noted that House Committees remained unconstituted, while Deputy Speaker post lay vacant
Hyderabad: BRS senior leader T. Harish Rao urged Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to ensure the Assembly sat for at least 30 working days in a year and restore the proper conduct and sanctity of Question Hour and Zero Hour. In his letter to the Speaker, expressed concern that there were serious institutional lapses, violation of fundamental rules, and the decline in the functioning of the House over the past two years.
Flagging erosion of Assembly sanctity and violation of rules, during the past two years, Harish Rao noted that House Committees remained unconstituted, while Deputy Speaker post lay vacant. He also pointed out that Supreme Court directives on disqualification petitions were ignored. He said that failure to provide written answers to questions was deemed a violation of procedure.
The former Minister termed the inaction on disqualification petitions against defected MLAs as the ‘most alarming concern.’ He asserted that the Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1986 specifically Rules 3 to 7 require immediate inquiry, issuance of notice, and expeditious decision-making.
"The delay in deciding these petitions is a clear violation of Article 191(2) of the Constitution," Harish Rao stated. He recalled the Supreme Court judgment in ‘Keisham Meghachandra Singh v. Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly’, where the apex court warned that decisions on disqualification must be made within a reasonable time. "Continued non-compliance with judicial directives undermines constitutional morality and public confidence," he noted.
The leader urged the Speaker to ensure replies to all unstarred questions are furnished within the mandated time frame. Amongst other demands include constitution of all House Committees without further delay, Initiating the process for the election of the Deputy Speaker and reactivating the Privileges Committee to clear pending privilege matters.
