Objection raised over inclusion of two Haryana ministers in fact-finding committee of Vidhan Sabha
As per Assembly Rules of Procedure, the Minister can be nominated only in B.A.C. and Select Committee on Bills -- Hemant Kumar
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, April 26, 2024: Hemant Kumar, Advocate in Punjab and Haryana High Court has objected to the inclusion of two Haryana ministers in the fact-finding committee of Vidhan Sabha.
Objecting to the reconstituted fact-finding committee, Hemant Kumar has written to the Governor of Haryana, the Speaker of the Haryana Legislative Assembly, the Leader of the House (Chief Minister), the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the House.
Recently vide a Notification dated 23 April 2024 issued by the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat and published in Haryana Govt Gazette Extraordinary of ibid date, the Fact Finding Committee of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha as originally constituted on 22 Dec 2023 to investigate the matter of sexual harassment by the then Principal of Govt Girls Senior Secondary School, Uchana Mandi (Jind) for the period from 2005 to 2023 of all incidents mentioned/discussed in the House in its sittings on 15 and 18 Dec 2023 has been reconstituted.
While Seema Trikha, Minister of State for School Education (Independent Charge) has been made Chairman of the aforementioned Committee instead of her predecessor Kanwar Pal, one more Minister of State (Independent Charge) in Haryana Government viz. Aseem Goel Naneola, who was earlier made Member of the ibid Committee in Dec, 2023 being merely MLA has also been retained in the reconstituted Committee as a Member notwithstanding he becoming a Minister now. Thus as of date, there are a total of two Haryana Ministers in the reconstituted Committee.
Hemant said that as per Proviso to Rule 204(1) of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Haryana Legislative Assembly (read the Rules as made under Article 208(1) of Constitution of India and as amended till date) a Minister shall not be nominated as a Member of the Committee except Business Advisory Committee / Select Committee and in case a Member of the Committee is appointed as a Minister, he/she shall cease to be the Member of the Committee from the date of such appointment.
Now as per Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Haryana Legislative Assembly, there is a provision for the constitution of Select Committee on Bills and not for any other purposes, so in the case at hand as discussed hereinbefore, the aforementioned Fact-Finding Committee cannot be termed as Select Committee of the House, quips Hemant.
Hence, given the above, the inclusion of two Ministers (of State) of the Haryana Government viz. Smt. Seema Trikha and Shri Aseem Goel (Naneola) as Chairman (actually Chairperson) and Member respectively in a Fact-Finding Committee of Haryana Vidhan Sabha is non-compliance or in other words violation of Rule 204(1) of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Haryana Legislative Assembly as amended till date, asserted Advocate Hemant Kumar.