HC orders Anshu Prakash to appear before Delhi Assembly panel

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash to appear before the Delhi Assembly committee.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru warned the Chief Secretary and two other bureaucrats that if they failed to appear before the committee, then it would issue contempt action against them as they are officers and bound to appear before all the committees.

The court direction came on a submission by the counsel for Delhi Assembly Committee that the three officers were taking advantage of the court's earlier order restraining the authorities from taking action against them and they were neither appearing nor responding to the queries asked of them.

The court on March 9 asked the panels not to take coercive steps against the officers.

The court was hearing Prakash's plea challenging the notice issued by the Committee which had asked him to appear before it.

"It is clarified that the petitioners (bureaucrats) shall participate in the proceedings of the panels without prejudice to their rights and contentions," the court said.

It made it clear that the committees will not take any coercive action against the bureaucrats till the pendency of petitions.

The court directed the panel to video film the meetings.

On March 5, the committee had assured the court that it would not take any coercive action against the Chief Secretary.

Prakash had challenged the Privileges Committee notice directing him to appear before it for skipping a meeting on February 20, a day after he was allegedly assaulted by AAP MLAs Amanatullah Khan and Prakash Jarwal.

The officer had sought quashing of the notice issued to him by the committee.

--IANS

akk/mr