5 Australian MPs ousted over dual citizenship
Canberra, May 9: Five Australian parliamentarians were ousted on Wednesday for holding dual citizenship when they were elected. It comes as fresh blow to Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull's majority in the House.
In what was widely viewed as a fresh test case, a high court ruled Senator Katy Gallagher ineligible, the BBC reported.
Four other politicians, who were also under scrutiny resigned after the verdict.
Gallagher and lower house MPs Justine Keay, Josh Wilson and Susan Lamb are members of the opposition Labor party. The fifth MP, Rebekha Sharkie, is part of minor party Centre Alliance.
In 2017, 10 MPs and senators were removed from office for violating a constitutional rule that prohibits federal political candidates from being dual nationals, the BBC report said.
The dual citizenship saga has destabilised Australian politics since July 2017, at times threatening Turnbull's majority in the House of Representatives.
Turnbull could increase his majority if he wins any of the vacant lower house seats, the BBC reported.
Gallagher was aware of her British passport as her father was born in England, so the court ruled that she did not take "all reasonable steps" to relinquish her British links, Xinhua news agency reported.
The High Court of Australia ruled that Gallagher's seat would be filled by counting back votes from the 2016 federal election.
The other politicians are expected be replaced in the same way, or through a by-election.
Gallagher had referred herself to the court in 2017 after questions emerged over whether she had renounced her British citizenship in time to run for office.
"To the people of the (Australian Capital Territory), I'm very sorry that this disruption has occurred to one of your federal representatives," she said on Wednesday.
Labor leader Bill Shorten said three of the ousted MPs would seek re-election.
Shorten said his party had relied on an older interpretation of Section 44(a), a much-debated rule in the constitution, that says members of parliament cannot continue to have citizenship in another country, and must prove they took "all reasonable steps" to renounce the other citizenship before being elected.
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AAP cleared 'agnipariksha', but it wasn't easy: Kejriwal on discharge in excise policy case
Panaji (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his party has successfully cleared the 'agnipariksha' (trial by fire) with the court discharging him and 22 others in the excise policy case, and added that it was "not easy" as there were "difficulties at every step".
The former Delhi chief minister also dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold assembly elections in the national capital, saying the BJP will not be able to win even 10 seats while the AAP will bag more than 60.
On February 27, a trial court discharged Kejriwal, former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the excise policy case, pulling up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by saying its case was wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny and stood discredited in its entirety.
The trial court had ruled that the alleged conspiracy was nothing more than a speculative construct resting on conjecture and surmise, devoid of any admissible evidence, and therefore, to compel the accused to face the rigours of a full-fledged criminal trial in the stark absence of any legally admissible material did not serve the ends of justice.
Kejriwal, who was arrested on March 21, 2024, by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case and later by the CBI, had been released on bail after spending 155 days in jail.
Addressing a public meeting in Panaji, where he was felicitated over the court verdict, Kejriwal said, "Some people were asking why Kejriwal has been quiet for the last one year."
"There are politicians who are thick-skinned. But I am a common man like you. If someone says that Kejriwal is a dishonest person then I feel bad. I had decided that I will keep quiet till the court gives the verdict," he said.
Attacking the ruling BJP and the Centre, he alleged, "They put behind bars five of our leaders and grabbed power in Delhi. Today, I challenge PM Modi to hold the election now and you will find that the BJP will win not even 10 seats, while the AAP will bag more than 60 seats."
Kejriwal said that the AAP has successfully cleared the 'agnipariksha'.
"It was not easy. There were difficulties at every step. We faced the worst of the situation...When Lord Ram defeated Ravan and came back to Ayodhya, even Sita Mata had to undergo agnipariksha," the AAP convenor said.
AAP is an honest party but it had to undergo the trial by fire often after facing false accusations, Kejriwal alleged.
The BJP accused AAP leaders of being involved in the excise policy case, he said, adding, "They alleged that we siphoned off Rs 100 crore. They tried to project us as corrupt, thief...The BJP tried to create suspicion against the AAP in the minds of people."
Kejriwal said raids were conducted at the residences and offices of AAP leaders.
"There were raids by the police, CBI, Income Tax. They checked all our bank accounts, our offices but could not find anything," he said.
He said that he himself along with four other AAP leaders - Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Vijay Nair and Sanjay Singh - were jailed.
"Our leaders were pressured...They were told that they should abandon me and join the BJP. But none of our leaders split. If they had done something wrong, they would have taken up the offer to join BJP. We knew that they cannot keep us in jail permanently...We knew that we were falsely accused and we have to come out of the jail," he added.
Kejriwal said that he was in jail for 150 days, while Sisodia was behind bars for more than 500 days though his wife was critically ill during that period.
The court's judgement, which runs through 600 pages, is clear after hearing all the proof and witnesses, he added.
"The order says that there is no proof or witness against us. The CBI requested the court for the trial but the judge said the trial cannot sustain as there is no prima facie evidence. The judge for the first time said that the CBI officer who filed this fraud case should face the action," Kejriwal told the crowd.
The AAP leader also claimed that all this allegation of scam was conceived by top BJP leaders as they wanted to rule Delhi.
"When BJP realised that they cannot defeat AAP, they opted to put false allegations against us," he said, adding that truth has finally triumphed due to the blessings of common people.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly Atishi, AAP's Goa unit chief Valmiki Naik were among the leaders who were present at the event.
