Shekhawat rejects Natwar's plea to speak on Pathak Report leak

New Delhi, Aug 10: Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today turned down as ''not admissible'' a notice by former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh seeking permission to raise a ''mater of breach of privilege of the House''.

The notice -- dated August four last -- had contended that ''within a few minutes'' of the submission to the Prime Minister of the Pathak Authority Report -- containing the findings of the panel's probe into the linkages of the Congress and other political personages with the Iraqi oil-for-food scam as alleged in the Volcker Report, the main findings were made available to the media.

Chairman Shekhawat said Mr Natwar Singh's notice had further stated that the Report had not been shown to him nor a copy of it was laid on the Table of the Rajya Sabha.

The discredited -- and now suspended -- Congressman had, therefore, requested permission under Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Upper House to be allowed to raise ''this matter of breach of privilege of the House''.

Reading from a type-written sheet immediately after the House had re-assembled following two adjournments earlier in the day on the same issue, Chairman Shekhawat noted as ''sad as well as unfortunate'' the fact that the media had come to know of the contents of the Report that very day.

''It would have been appropriate and desirable that when Parliament was in Session, no part of the Report should have become public before the Report was presented to Parliament,'' the RS Chairman observed.

''This is definitely a serious matter which needs to be looked into and investigated...'' ''However, this matter, though very unfortunate and deplorable, does not involve the question of any breach of privilege of the House,'' declared Mr Shekhawat.

''Past precedents in similar cases also lead me to reach the decision that this matter does not constitute any breach of privilege of the House,'' Chairman Shekhawat went on to add.

''I accordingly hold that the said notice is not admissible,'' concluded Mr Shekhawat.

With the matter thus attended to, the Chairman exited the House leaving it under the care of his Deputy K Rahman Khan who asked the members to raise matters of public importance by way of Special Mentions.

UNI