Indefinite suspension from RS: SC adjourns for Dec 1 hearing on plea of AAP MP

The Supreme Court on Friday deferred the hearing on a plea of suspended AAP lawmaker Raghav Chadha who had challenged his indefinite suspension from Rajya Sabha after it was informed that there was some development on the issueA bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra listed the matter for hearing on December 1 after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said that discussions are on in the matterAs per the courts suggestion some discussion has taken place and now he Chadha may have to appear before the privilege committee The matter may be taken up on December 1 by then there will be some development Mehta saidAdvocate Shadan Farasat appearing for Chadha said the deadline to send questions to the House for the Winter Session is to expire soon so the matter can be listed on November 29CJI Chandrachud told Farasat Sometimes it is better to stay calm and read between the linesThe bench listed the matter for hearing on December 1On November 3 the top court had told Chadha to meet Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar and tender an unconditional apology to him over the select committee row and added that the latter may consider it sympatheticallyIt had taken note of the submissions of Farasat that the firsttime and youngest lawmaker from the House of Elders was willing to apologise to the vice presidentThe top court had recorded the submission in the order and adjourned the hearing for Diwali vacation while asking Attorney General R Venkataramani to apprise it of the developments in the matterChadha has been under suspension since August 11 after some MPs a majority from the ruling BJP accused him of adding their names to a motion without their consent The motion sought the constitution of a select committee to examine the contentious Delhi Services BillIt was alleged that the Rajya Sabha MP had moved a motion to refer the Delhi Services Bill to the select committeeHe had allegedly named some lawmakers as members of the proposed committee and it was claimed that some of the MPs had not given their consent for itTaking note of the complaint the chairman had suspended Chadha pending an inquiry by the Committee of PrivilegesEarlier the CJIled bench had said the indefinite suspension of an MP could have very serious repercussions for peoples right to be represented by a person of their choiceIt had asked whether the Privileges Committee of Parliament could order Chadhas suspension from Rajya Sabha for an unspecified durationThe top court had said the exclusion of a member of the opposition from the House just because of a perspective that may not be consistent with the viewpoint of the government is a serious issueIt had said the only charge against Chadha was that he did not seek permission from some MPs before deciding to include them in a proposed select committee and sought to know from the attorney general if it could be considered an infraction warranting indefinite suspensionIn his plea the AAP leader said the power to suspend indefinitely is dangerously open to excesses and abuseThe power to suspend is meant only to be used as a shield and not as a sword that is it cannot be penal the plea has saidIt added The suspension is in clear breach of Rule 256 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States which incorporates a categorical prohibition against the suspension of any member for a period exceeding the remainder of the sessionThe Rajya Sabha had passed a motion moved by the Leader of the House Piyush Goyal on August 11 seeking action against the AAP MP Chadha was suspended on the last day of the Monsoon Session for gross violation of rules misconduct defiant attitude and contemptuous conduct pending a report by the Privileges Committee