Raj Bhavan fines 2 TMC MLAs over 'illegal' swearing-in
Kolkata, Jul 22: Two newly elected Trinamool Congress MLAs, who were sworn in by the West Bengal Assembly Speaker recently, on Monday said they received mails from Raj Bhavan questioning the legality of the process and asking them to pay a fine of Rs 500 each.
Speaker Biman Banerjee had administered the oath to two MLAs - Rayat Hossain Sarkar and Sayantika Banerjee - on July 5 in the assembly, though the Governor had appointed Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee for the task.
Sarkar said the mails informed the two that a fine of Rs 500 was imposed on each of them since, it alleged, their oath-taking and attending assembly session on its first day violated Constitutional norms.
The 10-day session of the House began on Monday and was adjourned after obituary references.
Sayantika Banerjee told PTI: "We have met the Speaker and showed him the mail. He said the Speaker's office is looking into the issue. We understand we have no problem in attending the session as elected representatives after taking oath in the temple of democracy – the state legislature.
To a question, she said she would continue to attend the assembly session.
sked if she had paid the fine, Banerjee said, "Why should I? Have we done anything illegal or improper?
The emails said that when the Constitutional head of the state designated someone to administer the oath to the MLAs, the Speaker had no jurisdiction in the matter.
The mails also alleged that several clauses were violated by the two newly elected MLAs by taking oath under the Speaker and attending the House session.
While Raj Bhavan sources confirmed that such emails were sent to the MLAs concerned, the Speaker could not be contacted for his comments.
The swearing-in of Sarkar and Sayantika Bandopadhyay on July 5 ended the month-long impasse between Raj Bhavan and the assembly over the venue of the ceremony and the administering authority.
On July 4, Governor Bose authorised Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee to administer the oath in the assembly, retracting his earlier stance that the MLAs would be sworn in at Raj Bhavan.
However, during the one-day special session, Deputy Speaker Asish Banerjee declined to administer the oath, citing that it would be inappropriate in the presence of the Speaker.
"The constitutional transgression has been done in spite of Hon’ble Governor appointing Deputy Speaker as the person before whom the two newly elected MLAs shall make and subscribe an oath or affirmation," a statement from Raj Bhavan said on July 5.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
