Patna, Oct 16 Bihar opposition party CPI(ML) Liberation on Friday demanded immediate cancellation of a BJP MLA’s membership in the state assembly following his conviction in a 2018 murder case.
A Delhi court sentenced Sahebganj legislator Raju Kumar Singh to four years in prison on July 4 this year in connection with the death of a woman during celebratory firing on New Year’s Eve in 2018 at his farmhouse. The deceased was a guest at the programme.
Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a person sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more is liable to be disqualified from the date of conviction, the CPI(ML) Liberation said in a statement.
The party’s state secretary Kunal said in the statement that it has written to the Bihar Assembly Speaker and Chief Electoral Officer seeking cancellation of Singh’s membership from the House.
He said that the BJP MLA was sentenced in a murder case and under the Arms Act, and the Delhi High Court refused to stay his sentence earlier this month.
“However, more than three months after the conviction and sentencing, Singh’s membership of the Bihar Assembly has not been cancelled. The delay in terminating his membership and declaring the Sahebganj Assembly seat vacant raises serious constitutional and legal questions,” Kunal said.
Citing the case of CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Manoj Manzil, whose membership was terminated ‘immediately’ after his conviction in a 2024 case, Kunal said that the law must be applied uniformly.
“If different procedures were followed in similar legal circumstances, it would raise questions about the impartiality of the Assembly, constitutional propriety and the credibility of democratic institutions,” he said.
(PTI News)
