Bengaluru, (Asian independent) Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Pratap Chandra Shetty has issued a show-cause notice to its Secretary KR Mahalakshmi, asking her to explain the events that led to a pandemonium on Tuesday in the House and why action should not be taken against her.
The Secretary has been given 48 hours to reply to the notice.
“You (Mahalakshmi) acted in violation of rules and above the scope of your position as the Council Secretary. Why did you act irresponsibly on that day (December 15)? Why should action not be initiated against you?” Shetty asked in his one-page notice in Kannada.
Shetty asked what had transpired in the House before he could enter it and after he left the premises. “After I directed you to press the quorum bell and as it was ringing and even quorum was not there, why were the doors locked before the Chairman could enter?” he queried.
He further asked what circumstances led Deputy Chairman (SL Dharme Gowda) to occupy the chair while he (Shetty) was still in office.
Shetty further sought a clarification on why the Secretary, instead of updating the Deputy Chair of what the House procedures or protocols were, why did she go on with the business. “Is it not dereliction in your duty?” he questioned.
The Chairman said that the Secretary was supposed to be in charge of the House when the Chairman is absent but recorded visuals allegedly indicated that she did not oppose the Deputy Chairman when he occupied the chair against the rules.
The Karnataka Governor is yet to take a call on whether to reconvene the Council session that has been adjourned sine die.
The Council witnessed high drama on Tuesday as the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress members pushed, shoved, dragged and hurled abuses at each other when the ruling BJP had convened a daylong session to deliberate on the cow slaughter ban Bill.
Though the Council agenda had listed the Bill along with several calling attention notices given by members cutting across party lines, there was no mention of the no-confidence motion against Shetty.
In the melee, the Deputy Chairman (Gowda) was dragged from the Chairman’s seat by the Congress members, who had occupied the chair even before the quorum bell went off. The BJP members shut the entrance from which the Chairman enters and exits during business hours.
