Congress leader Arunava Ghosh was today summoned to the bar of the West Bengal Assembly for breach of privilege and was penalised with detention till the House rose for the day.
Ghosh, a former Trinamool Congress leader and Bar Council member of Calcutta High Court, was brought to the bar by the Marshal.
Announcing Ghosh guilty, Speaker Biman Banerjee reprimanded him for his conduct and ordered his detention till the adjournment of the House for the day.
As Ghosh attempted to say something, he was disallowed by the Speaker who asked the Marshal to take him into custody.
Quoting a resolution moved by state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee, Banerjee said that Ghosh had deliberately committed a gross breach of privilege by casting deep aspersions on the character and impartiality of the Speaker during a discussion on a local TV channel last year.
The Speaker, who had issued the summons yesterday, said that the gravity of the misdemeanour was aggravated by Ghosh's unrepentant and unapologetic behaviour before the Privileges Committee members.
Ghosh was released a little after 5.00 P.M., after spending nearly two-and-a-half hours in custody.
Earlier, Congress members walked out for the day when Ghosh was refused permission to speak by the Chair.
The Privileges Committee also recommended that Anjan Bandyopadhyay, Editor (Input), 24 Ghanta News Channel and Moupia Nandy, its Programme Coordinator, be cautioned against injudicious conduct in the future.
