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3 hours ago
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Waheed Para had written on X that the "Assembly Secretariat has endorsed" the Public Safety Act (PSA) being slapped against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Mehraj Malik. (Source: X)
Saying that his post on social media has cast “aspersion on the impartiality” of the Speaker’s office, Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather has issued a show-cause notice to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Para. Para had written on X that the “Assembly Secretariat has endorsed” the Public Safety Act (PSA) being slapped against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Mehraj Malik.
The notice, issued by the Deputy Secretary of the Assembly, asks Para to explain why Breach of Privilege/Contempt Proceedings should not be initiated against him. The Speaker has given him a week to respond.
“Whereas, through your message, you alleged that the Assembly Secretariat had ‘endorsed’ the Public Safety Act action against an elected Member, which you equated with an ‘assault on democracy’. The said post is not based on facts, and thereby you have tried to mislead the public at large by passing false information/distorted facts which undermine the dignity/sanctity of the Institution and the position/authority of the Hon’ble Speaker,” reads the notice issued to Para.
“The Hon’ble Speaker has been pleased to issue a showcause notice to you as to why Breach of Privilege/Contempt Proceedings shall not be initiated against you for posting such misleading post/false information… Before proceeding ahead in the matter, you are hereby called upon to explain your position before the Hon’ble Speaker within seven days,” it says.
Para, while posting a notice issued by the Assembly Secretariat informing members about Malik’s detention under the PSA, had written: “Shameful surrender. The Assembly Secretariat endorsing PSA against an elected MLA is a direct assault on democracy. J&K CM Omar Abdullah 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.”
“Whereas the matter was placed before the Hon’ble Speaker, who has taken serious note of it and has observed that the privileges and freedom of speech granted to Hon’ble members should not be misused to undermine the sanctity of the Institution,” reads the notice issued to him.
Bashaarat Masood is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express. He has been covering Jammu and Kashmir, especially the conflict-ridden Kashmir valley, for two decades. Bashaarat joined The Indian Express after completing his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University in Kashmir. He has been writing on politics, conflict and development. Bashaarat was awarded with the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2012 for his stories on the Pathribal fake encounter. ... Read More
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