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Court sets aside Roja’s suspension from Andhra assembly

Armed with the court order, Roja on Friday arrived at the assembly gate and tried to enter the House.

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A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Gopal Gouda and Justice Arun Mishra, which heard Roja’s arguments against her suspension, expressed surprise as to why the High Court had rejected her petition.

The Supreme Court ordered that the petition be taken up for hearing by the Chief Justice court on Wednesday itself. Now that the High Court issued an order on the matter, I am placing it before the House. “It is for the House to discuss and take a decision on the issue”, the Speaker said.

Meanwhile, the speaker in AP assembly, Kodela Siva Prasad Rao, said that High Court copies would be given to the members, and take an appropriate decision on Monday.

The YSRC boycotted the Assembly proceedings today in protest against the denial of entry to Roja.

Roja, the MLA from Nagari in Chittoor district, was suspended for a year during the winter session of the AP Assembly in December last year for allegedly using unparliamentary and abusive language against certain members of the ruling Telugu Desam Party, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

On Thursday, the judge granted an interim order in favour of the petitioner MLA by observing that “since this court came to the prima facie conclusion that motion carried out was contrary to Rule 340 of the Rules of the House, this Court has to consider the balance of convenience in the instant case”. Roja was suspended from AP Assembly for a full year, which is against the rules, the petitioner argued and urged the court to suspend the MLA’s suspension immediately so that she could attend the ongoing budget session. Terming the government’s action as contempt of court, Jagan, as the leader is popularly known, said they would file contempt of court petition in the high court.

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YSRCP chief, Jagan wanted the Chief Marshal and officials to give in writing that they would not allow Roja inside the Assembly.

Roja suspension for 3 years