Rebel AAP MLAs seek time to reply to notices

NEW DELHI: Rebel AAP MLAs who had been served notices under anti-defection provisions for crossing over to BJP have sought deferment of a public hearing fixed for Tuesday.
In their written replies submitted on Monday to the Delhi assembly secretary, the two AAP legislators—Devinder Sehrawat from Bijwasan and Anil Kumar Bajpai from Gandhi Nagar—have sought more time to reply to the notices.
The two legislators also alleged that the notice served on them on June 17 had “some words missing” and the newspaper reports annexed with it were “illegible” and demanded that typed and translated copies be provided to them to be able to submit their response on the charge of defection.
“....I request you to defer the hearing on June 25 and grant me six weeks’ time from the date of supply of clear typed and translated copies of the petition and annexed documents,” Bajpai said in his written submission to the assembly secretary.
Sehrawat also cited similar reasons for the deferment and sought four weeks’ time.
The two MLAs were served notices by the assembly on the complaint of AAP spokesperson and Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj, seeking disqualification of the two under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. Sehrawat and Bajpai were asked to submit their replies by June 24 and appear before speaker Ram Niwas Goel on June 25.
Sehrawat and Bajpai had joined BJP in presence of senior party leaders on different days in May, ahead of polling in Delhi, although both maintained that they had not applied for BJP membership.
Addressing a press conference, Sehrawat said that the office of speaker acts as a tribunal under Supreme Court guidelines while deciding defection cases and so the documents furnished before it should be up to the standard. “The assembly should also give us enough time to reply to the notice,” Sehrawat said, adding that he had yet to take BJP membership. “Kirti Azad and Shatrughan Sinha shared dais with leaders of Opposition parties and still continued to be MPs,” he said.
Bajpai said an office-of-profit case was pending against him so it needs to be clarified if he is still an MLA.
Assembly sources, however, said both MLAs were given seven days to respond, which was “sufficient”. “The case will be decided as per the law,” the source said.