National
Meghalaya Governor awaits EC view on 17 MLAs’ disqualification
Shillong, Jan 20 (IANS) Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad has sent a reminder to the Election Commission (EC) seeking its view on the disqualification of 17 MLAs, who resigned as Parliamentary Secretaries after an adverse High Court verdict, a Raj Bhavan official said on Saturday.
On November 10, the Meghalaya High Court held invalid the state law providing for appointment of parliamentary secretaries in the state, but left it to the Governor to determine the disqualification of the post holders from the assembly.
“The Governor had a week ago sent a reminder to the Commission, as required under Article 192(2) of the Constitution, after the Meghalaya High Court held as invalid the state law providing for the appointment of parliamentary secretaries,” the official told IANS.
Prasad had referred the matter to the Election Commission on November 16.
However, the Election Commission is yet to submit its view to Prasad on the matter.
In fact, Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti had told journalists here last month that the Commission was examining the matter referred by the Meghalaya Governor on the High Court order.
“The matter was being examined legally and the Commission was taking inputs from the state government. An appropriate decision will be taken,” Joti had said.
On Friday, the Commission recommended disqualification of 20 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators as members of the Delhi Assembly for holding “office of profit” as parliamentary secretaries.
In the Meghalaya case, the verdict by a division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Ved Prakash Vaish came on a public interest litigation (PIL) by a state resident Madal Sumer, challenging the “extra-constitutional and illegal” appointment of parliamentary secretaries.
Following the court’s verdict, Sumer submitted a representation to Governor Prasad for the disqualification of the legislators named in the PIL, citing that “they are no longer legislators for holding the office of profit”.
Sumer urged the Governor to exercise his powers under Article 192 and take a decision on disqualification.
However, 10 of the 17 legislators, who quit as Parliamentary Secretaries following the High Court verdict, have said that there is no ground for their disqualification as MLAs.
Sujit Dey, counsel for the 10 legislators, said the issue of disqualification has become “infructuous” since the post of Parliamentary Secretary itself had ceased to exist, and all parliamentary secretaries had immediately resigned after the High Court verdict.
Hours after the November 9 verdict, these 17 Parliamentary Secretaries had quit their posts.
On March 12, 2013, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had administered oath of office to 18 MLAs as Parliamentary Secretaries to assist the 12 ministers after the Congress retained power in assembly elections.
Independent legislator Lamboklang Mylliem resigned from the post on March 29 last year, citing legal grounds.
Parliamentary Secretaries Celestine Lyngdoh and Comingone Ymbon were subsequently made Cabinet ministers.
Elections to the 60-member assembly are scheduled for February 27 and the counting will take place on March 8.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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