Perhaps for the first time in the history of the country, the Delhi High Court has admitted a petition from an MP seeking direction to the Lok Sabha Speaker to accept his resignation.
The court on Thursday agreed to hear the plea of Congress MP from Vijayawada Lagadapati Rajagopal seeking directions to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to accept his resignation.
In his petition, Rajagopal said that although he had given resignation in the Speaker's format on August 2, it was yet to be accepted. He said a member could not be forced to continue if he desired to quit, irrespective of reasons behind giving resignation. He said non-acceptance of resignation was un-constitutional.
Rajagopal submitted resignation from Lok Sabha membership after the Congress Working Committee took a decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to carve out Telangana.
Justice VK Jain said although it was the prerogative of the Speaker of Lok Sabha whether to accept or not the resignation of a member, it had to be examined whether court could interfere into such matters. He asked Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra to assist the court as a question of law was involved in the matter. Senior advocate Jayant Bhushan is Rajagopal's counsel in the case.
The next hearing on the plea has been posted for October 22.
