Gujarat assembly admits no-confidence motion against Speaker
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Assembly on Thursday admitted a no confidence motion, brought by the opposition Congress, against Speaker Rajendra Trivedi for suspending its two legislators for three years and another for a year.
The proposal, which was moved by Deputy Leader of Opposition Shailesh Parmar and supported by the entire Opposition, including Independent Jignesh Mevani, would come up for discussion and vote in the next seven working days.
The no-trust motion was moved on February 28, less than 10 days of Trivedi taking over as Speaker of the 14th Legislative Assembly.
The first session, also the budget session of the new government, chaired by Trivedi, had seen several disruptions and protests by the Opposition on more than one issue. It even saw a physical assault by a Congress legislator Pratap Dudhat on a BJP lawmaker on March 14. Besides Dudhat, Amrish Der was suspended for three years, while the party's Baldev Thakore was suspended for a year.
This provoked the Opposition to move the no-confidence motion against the Speaker. Trivedi even ruled against the entry of these three legislators in the premises of Assembly. On an earlier occasion, the Speaker even ordered the assembly staff to switch off Mevani's microphone.
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Police arrested Kejriwal's aide at same time his anticipatory bail plea was being heard: Atishi
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Minister Atishi alleged on Saturday that the city police arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's aide Bibhav Kumar at the same time his anticipatory bail plea was being heard in court.
Kumar was arrested on Saturday in connection with the alleged assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal, officials said.
He was picked up from the chief minister's residence by a Delhi Police team around noon, a senior officer said.
Addressing a press conference, Atishi said Kumar had filed a plea for anticipatory bail before the Tis Hazari court.
Kumar was picked up for questioning by the Delhi Police around 11 am. As soon as he was taken for questioning, news channels started saying he had been arrested, she claimed.
"This shows the BJP's conspiracy. Their intention is to disturb our election campaign and Arvind Kejriwal," she said.
Atishi said the Tis Hazari court considered Kumar's matter urgent and agreed to hear his plea on Saturday itself.
"The court commenced hearing on his plea at 3:55 pm and within 20 minutes, the Delhi Police arrested him at the Civil Lines police station. As soon as his lawyers began arguments, the police learnt that their case is weak and Kumar would get relief. So they arrested Kumar," she claimed.
Atishi alleged that when the court was dictating its order on the matter at 4:55 pm, the Delhi Police lawyer appeared through videoconferencing and said Kumar had already been arrested.
Kumar's anticipatory bail plea has become "infructuous" as he has been arrested, the court observed.
The chief minister's aide, accused of assaulting Maliwal on May 13 at Kejriwal's residence, was arrested two days after an FIR was registered against him at the Civil Lines police station.
Additional Sessions Judge Sushil Anuj Tyagi, while dictating the order to the court staff on the anticipatory bail plea, noted that Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Srivastava appeared through videoconferencing around 4:45 pm and informed the court that Kumar had already been arrested.
Atishi said, "Even they knew that their case was weak and if the case was heard, Bibhav Kumar would get bail. That is why tomorrow (Sunday) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will lead all AAP leaders and to the BJP headquarters and court arrest."
Kejriwal said he and other AAP leaders would go to the BJP headquarters on Sunday "so that the prime minister can send anyone he wants to jail".
The BJP is saying they would send AAP MP Raghav Chadha and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj to jail, he claimed at a press briefing, hours after Kumar was arrested.
