Puducherry Speaker to decide on new MLAs after studying judgment

Vaithilingam remains non-committal when BJP members call on him

In the spotlight: The three nominated MLAs of the BJP calling on Speaker V. Vaithilingam in Puducherry on Friday.

Speaker V. Vaithilingam is keeping the cards close to his chest on the action to be taken on the issue of nominated MLAs as matters are on course to come to a head when the Assembly convenes on Monday.

A day after the Madras High Court dismissed the petition filed against the nomination of BJP leaders V. Swaminthan, K.G. Shankar and S. Selva Ganapathy as Members of the Legislative Assembly by the Centre, Mr. Vaithilingam on Friday remained non-committal on whether he would give them seats in the House.

“I am yet to get an official copy. I have to study the judgment before taking a decision,” he reportedly told the BJP leaders when they called on him at the Assembly on Friday.

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Sources said the Speaker would buy time to decide whether the nominated MLAs should be permitted to attend the session starting Monday. The Speaker was consulting legal experts. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Chief Minister K. Lakshminarayanan, who filed the petition challenging the appointment, had left for New Delhi to consult senior lawyers in the Supreme Court.

Mr. Lakshminarayanan told

The Hindu that there were enough grounds to go for appeal against the High Court order.

Stating that there were “certain discrepancies” in the order, he said the Madras High Court had in its ruling recommended framing of proper rules in the nomination of MLAs.

The court had recommended that “a clear and unambiguous procedure has to be laid down for nomination of MLAs to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly with particular clarification about where it should emanate from and how it should be carried to its logical end.”

‘No clarity’

“The recommendation by the court implies that there is no clarity at present in the appointment process. The court had given at least four recommendations related to framing of rules and procedures in the appointment of nominated MLAs. We are going to bring this to the notice of the Supreme Court,” he said. The appeal was likely to be filed on Monday.

Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy held a series of meetings with ministers and legislators on Friday on future course of action.