Suspension of AP MLA: SC asks speaker to consider her letter

The Supreme Court today asked the Speaker of Andhra Pradesh assembly to consider the letter of apology given by YSR Congress MLA R K Roja, a popular south Indian actor, and take action on it.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy said that without prejudice to the rights of the MLA, her letter should be considered by the Speaker and disposed of accordingly.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Roja, said no action has been taken on her earlier letter of apology which was written to the Speaker in compliance of the apex court order.
The bench, however, refused to go further into the petition as the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana High Court is seized of the matter.

The bench had on April 24, 2016, directed the Speaker to consider to consider the plea of MLA, who was suspended for one-year from the assembly for making alleged objectionable comment against Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
It had directed the Speaker to consider her letter in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly framed under Article 208 of the Constitution.

It had also allowed the MLA to visit the party office situated in the Assembly premises as and when needed.
On March 15 last year, the apex court had directed the High Court to hear the plea of Roja, challenging her year-long suspension from the assembly.

It had directed that the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of the High Court and disposed of expeditiously.
Roja in her petition had said the maximum period for which an MLA could be suspended under the relevant rule was till the remaining period of a particular session of the House, which ended on December 22.
The actress-turned-MLA from Nagari constituency in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh had said her suspension from the assembly on December 18, 2015, was arbitrary and carried out by a voice vote.
Her suspension had come over alleged objectionable comments made during a debate on the call money racket of private money lenders harassing and exploiting borrowers after providing them easy loans.