Key Takeaways
- The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has served a show-cause notice on Pulwama MLA Waheed Para for his social media post criticizing the detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
- The notice was issued on the directions of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, who has taken serious note of the matter and has asked Para to explain his position within seven days.
- The Speaker’s office has clarified that the Assembly Secretariat has no role in the arrest or detention of any honorable member, and that any attack on the principle of impartiality can be treated as a breach of privilege or contempt of the House.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has served a show-cause notice on Pulwama MLA and PDP leader, Waheed Para after he accused the Assembly Secretariat of “endorsing” the detention of a Doda legislator Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
The notice, issued on the directions of Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, follows a social media post by Pulwama MLA Waheed Para, which criticized the publication of information about Doda MLA Mehraj Malik’s detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) as a shameful surrender and a direct assault on democracy.
Para had urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene, warning that “today it’s Mehraj, tomorrow it could be you.”
The Aam Aadmi Party MLA Malik was taken into custody on Monday under the stringent PSA and sent to jail for allegedly disturbing public order. His detention has triggered protests in Doda.
“Shameful surrender. Assembly Secretariat endorsing PSA against an elected MLA is a direct assault on democracy. CM Omar Abdullah must act, don’t allow the institution of MLA, the last agency of the people, to be silenced. Today it’s Mehraj, tomorrow it could be you,” Parra posted on X immediately after detention of MLA.
According to the Secretariat, Para’s remarks were “not based on facts” and amounted to “misleading the public by passing false information/distorted facts,” which, it said, undermined the dignity of the institution and cast aspersions on the impartiality of the Speaker’s office.
The Assembly clarified that the bulletin regarding Malik’s detention was issued strictly under Rule 260 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J&K Legislative Assembly, which requires the Speaker to publish such communications for the information of members.
“The Assembly Secretariat has no role in the arrest or detention of any hon’ble member,” the Secretariat said in a press release.
The notice observed that impartiality is an essential attribute of the Speaker’s office and that any attack on this principle has consistently been treated as a breach of privilege or contempt of the House.
“Whereas the matter was placed before the hon’ble speaker, who has taken serious note of it and has observed that the privileges and freedom of speech granted to hon’ble members should not be misused to undermine the sanctity of the institution. The Speaker has been pleased to issue show-cause notice to you as to why breach of privilege/contempt proceedings shall not be initiated against you for posting such misleading post / false information on social media platform X,” the notice read.
Para has been asked to explain his position before the Speaker within seven days, either in person or in writing, failing which, breach of privilege or contempt proceedings may be initiated against him.
