Protests over Moga bus incident, Telangana HC demand disrupt LS

TRS, Congress members' protests cause several adjournments

Protests by TRS members against the "delay" in setting up of separate High Court in Telangana and Congress members raising the Moga incident disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha today, causing several adjournments.

Agitated TRS members stormed the Well repeatedly as Law Minister Sadanand Gowda's assurance that he would try to find a solution soon failed to satisfy them as they insisted that the Centre has not taken the final call despite repeatedly making promises in the past.

"What is the need of a discussion now. You need to take a decision," TRS leader Jithendra Reddy said after Gowda's assurance that he would meet all Telangana MPs within 15 days.

The minister said the Centre has made sincere efforts for setting up a separate High Court for the newly-carved state but its "hands are tied" after a PIL was filed in Andhra Pradesh High Court.

"The matter has become sub-judice. Because of this our hands are tied. As soon as the High Court decides... We are at it. Certainly, we will have a high court for Telangana at the earliest," Gowda said.

Noting that he had met Chief Ministers of both states and the issue had seen progress, Gowda said he needed to consult the Chief Justice of Andhra High Court also.

TRS members, however, remained unsatisfied and said "Parliament needed to be respected" as it had passed Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act which had promised a separate HC for Telangana.

The House witnessed more heat when Amarinder Singh (Congress) raised the issue of the death of a 13-year-old girl in Moga after she was allegedly thrown off a moving bus after being molested by the staff of the bus belonging to a company owned by the ruling Badal family of Punjab.

Amid protests by SAD members, he said the incident was a "culmination" of the "detriorating" law and order in the state.

However, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan disallowed him, saying the issue had been raised in the House earlier, a point also made by Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu who said rules did not allow one issue to be raised twice in the same session.

As protests by TRS and Congress members continued, the Speaker adjourned the House for the third time till 2 p.m.