Chadha seeks early meet with RS chair to tender 'unconditional' apology

Following a suggestion by the Supreme Court to tender an unconditional apology to Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha has sought an appointment from the Chairman for an early meeting.

Taking to X, Chadha said that he has sought the meeting appointment in pursuant to order of the Supreme Court which said that it hopes the Chairman would take a sympathetic view of the matter.

The suggestion from the apex court came on Friday in the context of the controversy surrounding the select committee.

"Pursuant to order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court today where I undertook to meet the Hon'ble Chairman of Rajya Sabha personally, I have sought an appointment from the Hon'ble Chairman for an early meeting in respect of my suspension as a Member of Parliament," Chadha said.

The Supreme Court on Friday asked Chadha to meet Jagdeep Dhankhar and tender an unconditional apology in view of his suspension from the House.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra hoped that the Chairperson would take a "sympathetic" view of the matter.

The bench recorded the statements of Chadha's lawyer that the MP has no intention to affect the dignity of the House of which he is a member and he will seek an appointment with the Rajya Sabha Chairperson so that he may place an unconditional apology.

Chadha was suspended for not obtaining the consent of five Rajya Sabha members before proposing their names for a Select Committee.

The bench asked the Attorney General for India R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to apprise it of the developments in the matter after the Diwali vacation.Chadha's counsel told the bench that he is the youngest member of the House and he had no problem in tendering the apology.

"It has been submitted that Raghav Chadha is the youngest member of the august House. Bearing in mind that he had no intention to attack the dignity of the House, it is assured that Raghav Chadha shall meet the Chairperson and tender an unconditional apology which shall be considered sympathetically in the background of facts and circumstances of the House," said the bench in its order.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had expressed concern over Chadha's indefinite suspension and the impact it had on the people's right to representation while calling the exclusion of a member of the political opposition from the House a "serious matter".

It also questioned whether the Privileges Committee could issue such an order to indefinitely suspend an MP and said exclusion of a member of the political opposition from the House was a serious matter.

The bench had remarked, "Such kind of indefinite suspension will have ramifications on the people whose constituency is going unrepresented? Where is the power of the privilege committee to indefinitely suspend the member?"

Chadha moved the top court, challenging his indefinite suspension from Rajya Sabha.Chadha was suspended from the Upper House on August 11 for "breach of privilege" during the Monsoon Session after complaints.

The MP was accused of not obtaining the consent of five Rajya Sabha MPs before including their names in a select committee.

He was suspended till the Privilege Committee submitted its findings on the allegation against him for forging the signatures of five MPs in a motion related to the Delhi Services Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Chadha has called the suspension patently illegal and without the authority of law.His suspension followed a motion moved by Leader of the House Piyush Goyal who sought action against the AAP leader for including names of some members of the Upper House without their consent in a proposed select committee for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023.