Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Monday referred the matter of officers not providing answers to five questions asked by MLAs to the Privilege Committee and directed it to submit its report within a month.
As the House proceedings began, Mr. Goel asked MLAs whose queries had not been answered to read out their questions, but Ministers of the Departments concerned told the Speaker that officers had not provided answers despite his warning.
The legislators said the officers did not answer questions pertaining to reserved subjects — land, law and order, and services. On June 7, the Speaker had warned Principal Secretaries of Revenue, Education and another Department of strict action if they failed to provide responses to unanswered questions on Monday.
“In the history of democracy and Delhi’s politics, today’s [Monday’s] incident [matter of not providing answers by officers] will be written in black words. It is not only the insult of House, but also the Constitution and the people of Delhi,” Mr. Goel told the House.
He said it was a matter of “contempt of the House.”
“I am referring the matter to the Privilege Committee for action. I ask ministers to also put their report on the issue before the committee...I direct the committee to submit its report within a month,” he said.