Revoked: Rajya Sabha Chairman Lifts Suspension On 11 Opposition MPs Before Budget Session

The suspension of 11 opposition MPs, who were found guilty of breach of privilege by the House panel, has been revoked by Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The privilege committee is said to have recommended to the Rajya Sabha chairman that the period of suspension already endured by the members should be considered as "sufficient punishment" for the transgression, as reported by PTI.

Photo Credit: PTI

Rajya Sabha Chairman Lifts Suspension on 11 Opposition MPs

It was noted by the committee that the suspended members would not be able to attend the special address of President Droupadi Murmu to both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, according to the report.

Eleven MPs were held "guilty of breach of privilege and contempt of the Council of States," namely Congress's Jebi Mather, L Hanumanthaiah, Neeraj Dangi, Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, and GC Chandrasekhar, CPI's Binoy Viswam and Sandosh Kumar P, DMK's Mohamad Abdulla and CPIM's John Brittas and AA Rahim, from the Rajya Sabha.

A total of 146 MPs were suspended from both Houses of Parliament during the tumultuous winter session, which saw a glaring lapse in the security of the heavily fortified building, according to Hindustan Times.

The suspension of 132 MPs came to an end on December 29 when both houses were prorogued, given that the punitive action against them was valid only for the session. However, the participation of the remaining 14 MPs, including three Lok Sabha members, in the curtailed Budget session ahead of the general elections remained uncertain.

The 11 suspended MPs from the Rajya Sabha jointly met Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to request him to review their suspension, according to a party leader aware of the matter, reported Hindustan Times.

"They also pointed out that the chair should have taken into consideration both the Rules for Suspension and the circumstances before suspending the MPs. As per Rule 256, the Chairman can suspend a member from the service of the Council for a period not exceeding the remainder of the session," the leader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.