Law turner?

Ranchi, Aug. 23: Speaker Alamgir Alam made an extraordinary interpretation of the existing law and rejected the NDA’s notice of a no-confidence resolution to remove him from the Speaker’s post, believe experts.

The NDA had given the notice on August 21 and the Rule 158 (2) of the Assembly says that the resolution could be taken up 14 days after the notice was given. But Alam rejected to present the motion on the technical ground that the notice should have been moved 14 days ahead of the last sitting of the monsoon session (August 24).

The Speaker has been accused of committing irregularities in the Assembly appointments.

According to Article 179C of the Constitution, the Speaker could be removed by a resolution of the Assembly provided that no resolution for the purpose would be moved unless at least 14 days’ notice has been given of the intention to move it.

But Constitutional experts point out that the Speaker, under the normal interpretation of the laws, would have adjourned the House and fixed September 4 to debate the resolution.

Another section of the experts believe that the Speaker could have decided to take up the resolution in the next session of the Assembly.

Nowhere in the Constitution or in the Assembly rules it is said that the notice has to be given 14 days before the last sitting of the session. The notice is not linked with the session of the House, they argued.