‘Reply of PDP MLA being examined; autumn session likely to have 5-7 sittings’
PP NEWS LINE DESK
SRINAGAR, Oct 3: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Friday said it would be a welcome step if incarcerated legislator Mehraj Malik attends the upcoming Assembly session, but clarified that the decision lies with the court or the government.
Rather stated that Malik would need to seek permission through legal channels. “He needs to approach the court and if the government allows him, he should attend. It depends on whether the government or the court permits him,” the Speaker said.
On the issue of PDP legislator Waheed Parra, Rather confirmed that the show-cause notice issued against him is still under examination. “Parra has submitted his reply, and the matter is under consideration,” he said. The Speaker added that Parra had earlier spread misinformation claiming that the Assembly Secretariat had approved the Public Safety Act (PSA) against the Doda legislator, which, he clarified, was incorrect. “The Secretariat does not have such powers. PSA is imposed by the District Magistrate,” Rather asserted.
Responding to questions on the upcoming Assembly session, the Speaker said it will be a shorter session and that a provisional calendar will be issued shortly.
Speaking to reporters, the Speaker said his attendance depends on whether the court will grant him permission. “It depends on whether he gets permission or not. For that, I think he would need to approach the court. If the government grants permission, he should come-it would be good,” Rather said.
Malik was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) last month by the J & K administration.
To a question about the show-cause notice served to PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, the Speaker said that his reply is currently being examined.
“He had issued a misleading statement. He(Para) has claimed that the Assembly secretariat had endorsed the PSA. We don’t have any role in approving PSA. The PSA is slapped by the district magistrate,” he said.
Para was served show cause notice by the Assembly secretariat for his social media post claiming that the Assembly secretariat had endorsed the detention of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
“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,” Para had said in a post on X, formerly twitter.
The Speaker said that they are in process of framing a provisional calendar for the upcoming session of the Assembly.
“I think it wouldn’t have more than 5-7 sittings. This is a brief session. It depends on government business. We are getting information about government business within one or two days and will issue a provisional calendar,” he said.
