PP NEWS LINE DESK: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Secretariat has issued a show cause notice to Pulwama MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para for his social media remarks on the detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Din Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
The action comes after Doda District Magistrate Harvinder Singh formally informed the Secretariat on September 8 about Malik’s detention, following which a bulletin was issued under Rule 260 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business to notify members of the House.
However, Para later posted on social media platform *X* (formerly Twitter):
*“Shameful surrender. Assembly Secretariat endorsing PSA against an elected MLA is a direct assault on democracy. J\&K CM @OmarAbdullah must act, don’t allow the institution of MLA, the last agency of the people, to be silenced. Today it’s Mehraj, tomorrow it could be you.”*
The Secretariat clarified that the bulletin was a procedural requirement and did not amount to “endorsing” Malik’s detention. It emphasized that the Assembly had “no role in the arrest or detention of the Hon’ble Member.”
The notice issued to Para highlights that impartiality is a fundamental attribute of the Speaker’s office and warned that public statements implying bias could be treated as breach of privilege or contempt of the House.
“The Hon’ble Speaker has taken serious note of the matter and observed that the privileges and freedom of speech granted to Members should not be misused to undermine the sanctity of the Institution,” the notice states.
