New Delhi, August 18: Speaker of the Lower House of the Indian Parliament, Somnath Chatterjee, on Thursday rejected moving a privilege notice against the "Pioneer" newspaper for publishing a news item levelling charges against him.
Chatterjee said that handing out a privilege notice would be beneath the dignity of Parliament, and added that taking further note of the "motivated imputations in the impugned article" was not in order.
"I do not give my consent as requested and treat this matter as closed, of course with the observation that in future reckless and contumacious conduct indulged in by who-so-ever may be will be dealt with in the appropriate manner, so as to preserve and enhance the dignity of the highest public forum in our country," Chatterjee said in his ruling shortly after the Question Hour.
The privilege issue had been raised by several members, including Ramji Lal Suman and Professor Ram Gopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party and Devendra Prasad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, who wanted action against the paper's Editor and Publisher, Chandan Mitra and the correspondent who wrote the article, Swapan Dasgupta.
"I believe that the disapprobation by large sections of this Hon'ble House of the contents of the impugned article, clearly indicates their opinion that the publication is grossly contumacious and a deliberate affront to this Hon'ble House, whereby gross breach of privilege has been committed," the Speaker said.
Reading out his four-page ruling on a privilege issue raised by Ramji Lal Suman, Samajwadi Party, and other members regarding the article published on August seven, Chatterjee said submissions have been made by members with considerable force and justification for reference of the matter to the Committee of Privileges.
"However, to my mind, in view of the condemnation on the floor of the House and as it will be beneath the dignity of this great institution to take further note of the motivated imputations in the impugned article."
The Speaker gave a warning that "in future reckless and contumacious conduct indulged in, by who-so-ever may be, will be dealt with in the appropriate manner, so as to preserve and enhance the dignity of the highest public forum in our country".
He dismissed as "baseless" allegations of "gagging" one member as mentioned in the article.
In an apparent reference to Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Bannerjee, he noted that the newspaper article referred to the "so-called conflict" between the Chair and one member who had staged a dramatic protest alleging that she was being gagged.
Describing this accusation as "clearly motivated", the Speaker said she had attended the current Monsoon session only on one day.
He said she had given a notice of adjournment motion on an issue identical to the one which had been discussed on July 26 and hence could not be allowed under rule 58 (V) to be raised again in the same session.
"She had not participated in the discussion and no other notice and I repeat, no other notice, or any intimation was ever submitted by the Hon'ble Member to Lok Sabha nor to the office of the Speaker of her intention to raise any other matter or issue," he said contending that thus, there was no occasion for disallowing any matter which she wanted to raise.
