SHILLONG: S
peaker AT Mondal on Tuesday disallowed a censure motion moved by the Opposition against cabinet ministers Deborah Marak and Ampareen Lyngdoh by saying that their cases are sub-judice.
The Speaker in his ruling said that it will not be appropriate to discuss the subject matter of the censure motion which is sub judice and it does not merit to be admitted.
The Opposition members Donkupar Roy and Paul Lyngdoh (UDP), Nihim D Shira (NPP), and
K.P. Pangniang (HSPDP) had jointly moved the censure motion against Deborah and Ampareen “for their unethical act of continuing in office despite FIRs, chargesheets and criminal investigations launched against both”.
While Deborah was charge-sheeted by police for her alleged links with GNLA to win the Assembly polls, Ampareen is under a cloud for the education scam as unearthed by the CBI.
The Speaker said, “on examination it is found that the case of Deborah Marak is pending before the Chief judicial Magistrate, Williamnagar and the case on which Ampareen Lyngdoh was framed is pending before the Supreme Court of India and High Court of Meghalaya, Both the cases are pending before the Courts and the final decision is pending. Therefore, these cases are sub judice”, the Speaker said.
The speaker also quoted the rule 279 (1) (i) which states that a member, while speaking shall not refer to any matter of fact on which a judicial decision is pending.
After the ruling of the Speaker, Paul Lyngdoh said that they knew that the legal cases could not be discussed in Assembly, hence they framed the motion confining to unethical acts of the ministers.
“We urge you to reconsider discussion on the ethical part of the motion and not on the legal angle, Lyngdoh said, adding that since the ministers have taken oath of office, the ethical aspect needs to be discussed.
The Opposition Leader Donkupar Roy pointed out that the Opposition wanted to know the official version of the cases against Deborah and Ampareen from the Government. “The debates outside the House will not bring the official version. It is the right of the House to know the gospel truth of the cases”, Roy said. He added that the statement of facts is not sub judice. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prestone Tynsong, however, defended the ruling of the Speaker to disallow the motion and asked the Opposition to wait for the court ruling on the cases
