Srinagar, Sept 9 : Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Tuesday rejected allegations by MLA Waheed Parra that the Assembly endorsed the Public Safety Act (PSA) detention of MLA Doda, Mehraj Malik, calling the claims “completely wrong” and “misleading.”
Speaking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), the Speaker said Parra was unaware of the rules and had “spoken wrongly and lied.” He added that such misleading statements would not be tolerated and that those spreading false information should be punished as per the law.
The Speaker said that neither the Assembly nor its Secretariat has any role in approving or disapproving arrests. “Only the Speaker has the authority in such matters. Whenever a member is arrested, it is the duty of the Speaker to inform fellow members. This is the end of our role,” he said.
Rather said that when the Assembly was informed about Mehraj Malik’s arrest, they merely communicated it to members, without any interference in the process. “There is no involvement of the Speaker or the Assembly Secretariat in the arrest decision. Rules will be followed and punishment given if needed,” he added.(KNS)
