This refers to the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya after he was named an accused in the killing of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. But he continues to be a member of the State Assembly.
Given the working of the criminal justice system, by the time the charges are proved against an MP or an MLA, his term comes to an end. Therefore, we should have a special court or law-enforcing agency as an interim arrangement. It should be empowered to decide on the basis of prima facie evidence whether an MP or MLA can be disqualified.
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi
Raja Bhaiya was jailed on terrorism charges (POTA) in 2002. He has many criminal cases pending against him. That the Samajwadi Party never ceases to support him is surprising.
Huda Ahmad,
Lucknow
Akhilesh Yadav went back on his promise of providing a clean administration by inducting Raja Bhaiya in his Ministry. The killing of officers who perform their duty will have serious implications for the morale of the police force. What we need are changes to the Representation of the People Act 1951. Unless people with criminal cases pending against them are barred from contesting elections, they will keep winning on tickets of different political parties.
Ankur Goyal,
New Delhi
