The ruling Telugu Desam Party today prevented the entry of YSR Congress MLA R K Roja into the Andhra Pradesh Assembly even as the aggrieved member obtained an interim order from the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad against her suspension from the House.
The YSRC first staged a protest sit-in on the Assembly premises and then drove to the Raj Bhavan to submit a petition to the Governor against Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao for violating the court order.
The Legislative Affairs Department, meanwhile, filed a petition before the Division Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad against the single judge's interim order.
Inside the House, the Speaker announced that he has received an order of the High Court on Roja's suspension issue.
"It was the House that unanimously decided to place the member under suspension for a year. Now that the High Court issued an order on the matter, I am placing it before the House. It is for the House to discuss and take a decision on the issue," the Speaker said.
He got the court order copies circulated to all members "to study and discuss the issue on Monday".
The YSRC boycotted the Assembly proceedings today in protest against the denial of entry to Roja.
Roja, YSRC MLA from Nagari in Chittoor district, was suspended from the Assembly for a year, during the winter session in December last, for using unparliamentary and abusive language against certain members of the TDP, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Roja then filed a writ petition challenging the House's decision.
Justice A Ramalingeswara Rao of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad issued an interim order yesterday saying "this court came to the prima facie conclusion that motion carried out was contrary to Rule 340 of the Rules of House.
"Hence, there shall be an interim suspension of the motion to suspend the petitioner (Roja) carried out on December 18, 2015 by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, pending disposal of the writ petition," it said.
The judge also noted that the order was "not an endorsement of the conduct of the petitioner" in the House nor against the authority of the Hon'ble Speaker to take action against the erring member.
Earlier in the day, Roja came to the Assembly along with
her party colleagues but was prevented from stepping inside.
She picked up an argument with Assembly Chief Marshal Ganesh even as Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy entered the scene.
Jagan asked the Chief Marshal why he was preventing Roja from entering the Assembly despite the High Court order.
The Chief Marshal merely said "there are instructions" but could not specify who issued the instructions and what they were.
The YSRC chief argued with the Chief Marshal over this but to no avail.
Jagan then led his party MLAs on a sit-in protest near the inner gate of the Assembly even as the House went on with its business.
YSRC members in the Legislative Council staged a walkout on the issue and all the party legislators then drove to the Raj Bhavan.
As the Governor was not present, the YSRC delegation handed submitted a letter at the Raj Bhavan.
Jagan said in the letter that they were approaching the Governor "as the Constitution head of our state" to do "justice to us by directing the Speaker to respect the court order."
The YSRC Legislature Party later met at the residence of Jagan and decided to protest on the issue in the Assembly tomorrow. The YSRC members have decided to attend the House wearing black robes.
