HC sets aside suspension of 7 BJP MLAs from Delhi Assembly for interrupting LG's address

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday set aside the suspension of seven BJP MLAs from the Legislative Assembly for interrupting Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena's address at the start of the Budget session.

The seven Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs -- Mohan Singh Bisht, Ajay Mahawar, O P Sharma, Abhay Verma, Anil Bajpai, Jitender Mahajan and Vijender Gupta -- moved the court last month, challenging their suspension from the Assembly till the conclusion of the proceedings before the privileges committee.

"The writ petitions are allowed," Justice Subramonium Prasad said while pronouncing the order.

The MLAs had contended that their suspension till the conclusion of the proceedings before the privileges committee was in violation of the applicable rules.

The Assembly authorities had, on the other hand, assured the court that the suspension of the MLAs was not an attempt to stifle dissent in the House and was rather a "self-discipline" mechanism in the face of a "series of misdemeanours" by the opposition legislators.

The BJP lawmakers had interrupted Saxena multiple times during his address on February 15 as he highlighted the achievements of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital.

AAP MLA Dilip Pandey had subsequently moved a resolution in the House for their suspension. The resolution was accepted by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, who had also referred the issue to the privileges committee.

Barring Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, all the BJP lawmakers were barred from attending the House proceedings.

The session has been extended till the first week of March due to a delay in the budget finalisation.