20 AAP MLAs clean bold as Election Commission disqualifies in office-of-profit case

NewsBharati    19-Jan-2018
Total Views |

New Delhi, January 19: After finding 20 MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party guilty of holding an 'office of profit', the Election Commission has written to President Ram Nath Kovind and recommended the disqualification of them.

In its opinion sent to President Ram Nath Kovind, the Election Commission said by being parliamentary secretaries, they held office of profit and were liable to be disqualified as MLAs of the Delhi Assembly, highly placed sources said. 

Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had made the said appointments in March 2015, a month after forming his government in the national capital.

For these appointments, his government had passed an amendment to the Delhi Members of Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1997, in June 2015. The amendment exempted the post of parliamentary secretary from the definition of office of profit with retrospective effect.

The party’s efforts, however, got a jolt when then President Pranab Mukherjee declined approval to the proposed amendment in June 2016 and the Delhi High Court set aside the order appointing the MLAs as parliamentary secretaries.

The Delhi High Court bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal had passed the order after the counsel appearing for Delhi government “conceded” that the March 13, 2015 order was issued without taking concurrence or views of Lieutenant Governor.

It is expected that this move would lead to a mini Assembly election in Delhi. Despite the disqualification of 20 MLAs, the Arvind Kejriwal party is still in majority in the Delhi Assembly.

Aam Aadmi Party AAP EC disqualification 20 MLA AAP MLA Election Commision office of profit