Frisking of members only in extreme circumstances: Assembly Speaker

Lucknow, Feb 11 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh assembly Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar today defended his stand of frisking legislators to check entry of objectionable material in the house but said it would be done only under extreme circumstances.

Interacting with mediapersons here, the Speaker, while clarifying his stand on the issue said passes of legislators and people accompanying them had been checked in the past too. ''If the members want they can bring a motion to make the chair reconsider the decision...but frisking is the last resort and not compulsory,'' he added.

He said anything would be done to defend the dignity of the house and its members.

On February 8, during the address of the Governor to the joint session of the legislature, Opposition Samajwadi Party members had displayed hydrogen-filled black balloons to express their anger at the performance of the Mayawati government. While some balloons were released inside the house, some were busted.

The Speaker had termed the development as unfortunate and had announced that frisking could be resorted to check the entry of such items inside the house in future.

The SP had criticised the move and had termed it undemocratic.

He said the city police would be deployed only at the entrances of the assembly building and would assist the secretariat security staff.

UNI NAB AE RAI2003