Privileges Panels of Both Houses To Meet Next Week, Hear 14 Suspended MPs

The Privileges Committees of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are scheduled to meet next week, where 14 opposition MPs will be given an opportunity to put across their views over the issue of their suspension for unruly conduct during the recent Winter Session of Parliament.

As many as 146 MPs - 100 from Lok Sabha and 46 from Rajya Sabha - were suspended during the Winter session of Parliament after they brought placards and raised slogans, demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of breach of Parliament security.

Fourteen MPs - three from Lok Sabha and 11 from Rajya Sabha - were suspended for creating "grave disorder" in their respective Houses on December 18 which led to their suspension and their cases being referred to the Privileges Committee.

Both Houses resolved that the revocation of suspension of the 14 members was subject to the report of the Privileges Committees of the respective Houses.

The Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha is scheduled to meet on January 9, while that of Lok Sabha will meet on January 12, according to a bulletin circulated among the members.

Three Lok Sabha members from the Congress - K Jayakumar, Abdul Khaleque and Vijayakumar Vijay Vasanth - will get an opportunity to record oral evidence before the Committee, chaired by BJP member Sunil Kumar Singh.

The Privileges Committee of the Rajya Sabha, chaired by Deputy Chairman Harivansh, has convened a meeting on January 9 but is yet to circulate the agenda to members.

While 97 Lok Sabha members were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session, the issue of Mr Jayakumar, Mr Khaleque and Mr Vijayakumar, who had reached the presiding officer's chair, was referred to the Privileges Committee.

In the Rajya Sabha, 46 members were suspended during the Winter Session, including 11 whose case was referred to the Privileges Committee of the Upper House.

Opposition members Jebi Mather Hisham, L Hanumanthaiah, Neeraj Dangi, Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, G C Chandrashekhar (all Congress); Binoy Viswam and Sandosh Kumar P. (both CPI), M Mohamed Abdulla (DMK), John Brittas and AA Rahim (both CPI-M) were suspended till the House "has the benefit of the Report of the Committee of Privilege".

Members facing suspension are not invited to participate in meetings of Parliamentary Committees, tours and related events.

Such members are barred from entering the respective Houses and cannot ask questions of the government during the session of Parliament.

The questions put by them for the Question Hour are also deleted.