The Telangana High Court on Monday directed police not to obstruct legislators from entering the Assembly, saying that if there is any violation of the Assembly rules, it is for the Speaker to take action and not the police.
Telangana HC issues interim order on Assembly incident
The court also directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to identify the police officers who allegedly manhandled woman MLAs of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) during Monday’s incident at the Assembly entrance, take strict action against them and submit a report to the court.
The court passed the interim order on a petition filed by the BRS about Monday’s incident and posted the matter for further hearing on September 21.
BRS alleges police manhandled legislators
The petitioner informed the court that the BRS legislators were proceeding to the Assembly and they were intercepted by the police and were not allowed to enter the Assembly.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted that one of the lady legislators was stopped and her saree was pulled, and the other lady legislator, who was former Home Minister, was held by her neck. He submitted that other male legislators who were wearing black T-Shirts with slogans about the failure of the government were also manhandled, and some of them received injuries.
Court says Speaker must act on Assembly rule violations
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the police have no right to stop the legislators from entering the Assembly and if any action has to be taken for wearing T-shirts or not following the rules of the Assembly, then it is the Speaker who has to take action and not the police.
Voicing the apprehension that similar action may be taken in the coming days, the petitioner sought direction to the respondents not to obstruct the legislators from entering the Assembly and also a direction to the DGP to look into the police excesses in stopping the legislators from entering the Assembly and take action against such police officials.
Government cites Telangana Assembly rules
The government pleader for Home, however, drew the attention of this Court to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Telangana Legislative Assembly and particularly the Rule 316 and Clauses (xiii) and (xv) thereof to submit that a member shall not wear or display badges of any kind in the House and shall not display flags, emblems or any exhibits in the House without the permission of the Speaker.
He submitted that since the members were proceeding towards the Assembly in Black T-Shirts with slogans thereon, perhaps the police have stopped the legislators.
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