Parl Privilege Committee to examine suspension of Oppn members on Jan 12

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Privileges Committee, chaired by BJP member Sunil Kumar Singh, will convene next week to examine the suspension of three Congress MPs – K Jayakumar, Abdul Khaleque, and Vijayakumar Vijay Vasanth – for disruptive behavior during the Winter Session. The Committee will record oral evidence from the accused members on January 12.

Their suspension stems from a December 18 incident where they disrupted parliamentary proceedings by approaching the presiding officer’s chair and causing “grave disorder” while demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on a security breach. While 97 other opposition members received temporary suspensions, the Committee was tasked with investigating the three Congress MPs who took more drastic actions.

Their suspension remains in effect until the Committee submits its report to the Lok Sabha Speaker. It’s important to note that similar suspensions occurred in the Rajya Sabha, where 46 members were suspended, including 11 whose cases were referred to the Upper House’s Privileges Committee. This Committee, chaired by Deputy Chairman Harivansh, has yet to convene a meeting to address these suspensions.

The suspended members include 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 A A Rahim (both CPI-M).