Assembly Secy returns to AIR, Delhi Speaker withdraws plea from HC

The Delhi High Court was today informed that the Delhi Assembly Secretary, whose repatriation to his parent department -- the All India Radio (AIR) -- had become a contentious issue between the Speaker and the Lieutenant Governor, has been sent back with effect from February 26.

The development was communicated to the high court on behalf of Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, who had been opposing the repatriation of House secretary Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara even though then Lieutenant Governor (LG) Najeeb Jung had ordered that he be sent back to AIR.

The counsel for Goel also told the court that since Suryadevara has been repatriated, the Speaker was not pressing the plea challenging the LG's decision to send him back.

In view of the submission made on behalf of the Speaker, Justice Rajiv Shakdher dismissed the matter as not pressed.

According to the written instructions given to the lawyer for the Assembly, Goel had received a communication from the Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly requesting him to spare Suryadevara for them.

Besides this, the written instruction also said that Suryadevara told Goel that his parent department has asked him in writing to return so that the proposal of deputing him to the Andhra Pradesh assembly could be considered.

"In view of the request of the Speaker of a sister legislature and keeping in view the future career prospects of the officer concerned in legislative arena, the Speaker (Goel), with the hope and belief that Suryadevara will not be further harassed by his parent department for simply following the instructions of the Speaker and the (Delhi) Legislative Assembly, reluctantly agreed to relieve Suryadevara from his duties with effect from February 26, 2018.

"Accordingly, Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara stood relieved from the position of Secretary, Legislative Assembly, NCT of Delhi," the court was informed by the lawyer.

The lawyer for the LG, meanwhile, told the court that since Suryadevara joined his parent department, he has faced disciplinary action there.

The high court had on February 23 asked Suryadevara, who was loaned to the AAP government by the Centre for a year, how he could continue in the post when his parent department, AIR, wanted him back.

The court had also asked how the Speaker could hold the official back without the consent of his parent department.

Suryadevara, an officer belonging to Newsreader-cum-Translator (Telugu) cadre, had on the last date told the court that he wanted to work in the legislature.

The official was relieved by the LG in August 2016, a decision that was challenged by the Speaker in the high court.

Goel had refused to relieve the official, insisting that since he, as the Speaker, held a constitutional office, the LG cannot repatriate the assembly secretary without his concurrence.

Suryadevara had earlier served in the offices of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee for five years and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari for over six years.