Agartala, Mar 30: BJP MLA Jadab Lal Nath was allegedly caught watching pornography on his mobile phone in the Tripura assembly, prompting the opposition on Thursday to demand strong action against him.
The incident happened when proceedings were underway in the assembly on the last day of the Budget session on Wednesday, and a video clip of it went viral on social media.
Nath, the MLA of Bagbassa constituency in North Tripura district, claimed obscene videos started appearing on his phone as he received a call.
"I know well that using mobile phones is prohibited in the House. As repeated calls were coming, I picked up a call, and then obscene videos started appearing on my phone. Anyways, I then closed it," he told PTI.
He said he has spoken to state BJP president Rajib Bhattacharya on the matter who told him to "wait".
The Congress said it was a shameful incident, and Nath should be punished for it.
"This incident has tarnished the image of all MLAs. This man should be appropriately punished. Use of mobile phones is completely prohibited in the assembly, how could he watch pornography?" state Congress president Birajit Sinha said.
Leader of opposition Animesh Debbarma also demanded action against Nath.
"The speaker should take stern action against such an act," he told reporters.
Speaker Biswabandhu Sen said he is yet to receive a complaint over the issue.
"I have not received any complaint. I cannot take action on the basis of a social media post. If any complaint is lodged, I will initiate an investigation and take appropriate action," he said.
In 2012, three BJP ministers of Karnataka -- Lakshman Savdi, CC Patil and Krishna Palemar -- were allegedly caught watching porn in the assembly.
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Patna (PTI): Bihar Home Minister Samrat Choudhary on Sunday announced that the state government will establish 100 fast-track courts (FTCs) to ensure the swift disposal of pending cases.
He said that the move also aims to ease the burden on regular courts for them to accord due attention to sensitive cases.
Choudhary said the decision in this regard has been made considering that over 18 lakh cases are pending before different courts in the state.
The constitution of FTCs will "bring in a big relief" to the judicial system and litigants, he said.
"To operationalise 100 FTCs across 38 districts and sub-divisions, the government will undertake large-scale recruitment," the home minister asserted in a statement.
He said that a total of 900 posts, including those of bench clerks, office clerks, stenographers, deposition writers, data entry operators, drivers, process servers and peons, will be filled.
Choudhary also announced that 79 courts will be designated as 'act courts' to fast-track cases related to the Arms Act. Swift resolution of such serious cases, he said, will strengthen law and order in the state.
The minister said that Patna alone will get eight fast-track courts, while four courts each will be set up in Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur. Three FTCs each are planned for Nalanda (Bihar Sharif), Rohtas (Sasaram), Saran (Chhapra), Begusarai, Vaishali (Hajipur), East Champaran (Motihari), Samastipur and Madhubani.
Similarly, two courts each will be established in West Champaran (Bettiah), Saharsa, Purnea, Munger, Nawada, Jehanabad, Arwal, Aurangabad, Kaimur (Bhabhua), Buxar, Bhojpur (Arrah), Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Siwan, Gopalganj, Supaul, Madhepura, Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar, Banka, Jamui, Sheikhpura, Lakhisarai and Khagaria. One FTC each is also proposed for the sub-divisional courts of Naugachia and Bagaha.
