Congress and Trinamool Congress MPs on Monday submitted privilege notices against Rajya Sabha nominated MP and former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi for his remarks that he attends the House when he feels so, saying these were against the dignity of the House.
Justice Gogoi attended Rajya Sabha on Monday, only the seventh time since he was nominated in March 2020.
Sources said Trinamool Congress' Mausam Noor and Jawahar Sircar as well as a couple of MPs from Congress submitted the notice. Noor also wrote separately to the Ethics Committee of Rajya Sabha on the issue.
Justice Gogoi, during the promotion of his recently released memoir 'Justice for the Judge', told NDTV, "I go to the Rajya Sabha when I feel like, when I think there are matters of importance on which I should speak. I am a nominated member, not governed by any party whip. Therefore, whenever the bell rings for the party members to come, it does not bind me. I go there of my choice and come out on my choice. I am an independent member of the House."
He said he had given a letter to the Rajya Sabha informing it about not attending the Session and that he was "not comfortable going there" as he could enter the Rajya Sabha only after getting an RT-PCR test. He also said that social distancing norms were "not being observed" in Rajya Sabha and he did not find the sitting arrangements very comfortable.
He said in the interview, which was quoted in Noor's notice, "what is this magic about RS? I would have been better off in terms of pay, emoluments if I had been a chairman of a tribunal. I am not taking a penny from the Rajya Sabha."
The MPs found breach of the Council in his statements as they "undermine the dignity" of the Rajya Sabha and wanted it to be forwarded to the Committee of Privileges.
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(Published 13 December 2021, 12:37 IST)
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