Delhi HC seeks Centre, AAP govt replies on CS plea

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Wednesday sought resp-onse of the Centre, the AAP government and the Delhi Assembly Speaker’s office on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash’s plea challenging the fresh breach of privilege proceedings initiated against him on complaints by two House committees.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru, while issuing notice in the matter, declined to pass any interim orders after Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra said nothing was presently happening against the bureaucrat and that his plea was “premature”.

Mr Mehra said the instant petition be heard on November 27 with an earlier plea of the bureaucrat challenging another breach of privilege proceeding going on against him.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra and advocate Vivek Chib, appearing for Mr Prakash, on the other hand urged the court to pass interim orders staying the two fresh proceedings against him and to direct that his presence be not insisted upon by the privileges committee.

The judge, however, did not issue any interim directions and listed the matter for hearing on November 27, saying that nothing has happened till now against the bureaucrat and if anything happens he can approach the court.

Mr Prakash, in his plea filed through advocates Asif Ahmed and Ruchira Goel, has sought quashing of the two new breach of privilege proceedings initiated against him on the complaints by the Question and Reference Committee (QRC) and Protocol Committee of the Assembly.

During the brief arguments, Luthra contended that some members of the two committees, which lodged the complaints against him, were also part of the Privileges Committee which is a “violation of principles of natural justice”.