New Delhi: The Lok Sabha Secretariat on Wednesday restored the membership of NCP leader Mohammad Faizal after the Kerala High Court stayed his conviction in a criminal case.
"This delay in revoking my membership is not appreciated. The Secretariat took the decision of disqualifying me, and the very next day my conviction was declared, at least that swiftness should have been shown for revoking my membership," NCP leader Mohammad Faizal told ANI.
Faizal's Lok Sabha membership restoration comes ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on the matter. Congress welcomed the development. Senior party leader Manish Tewari tweeted, "Good to have @faizalpp786 back in Lok Sabha However this notification should have come much earlier. The High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam had passed an order on 25.01.2023 itself in Crl. M.A. No. 1 of 2023 in Crl. Appeal No. 49 of 2023, suspending the conviction and sentencing".
The development comes at a time after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha days after he was convicted by a court in Gujarat in a criminal defamation case. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, while hearing the plea of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mohammed Faizal, asked which right of the petitioner is being violated during his suspension as an MP. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mohammed Faizal had moved the Supreme Court stating that even though his conviction has been stayed by the Kerala High Court, he has not been reinstated back to the Parliament.
A bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna asked Faizal's lawyer which of his fundamental rights was violated. Faizal's lawyer responded that the "The right to represent his constituency", to which the court asked, "Is that a fundamental right?"
He told the court that the speaker has not allowed the parliamentarian to sit in the Parliament. He also urged that the speaker should withdraw his order of disqualification. The lawyer urged the top court to take up the matter tomorrow, thereafter the matter was adjourned for tomorrow.
Earlier Kerala High Court suspended the conviction and sentence of Lakshadweep MP and Nationalist Congress leader (NCP) leader PP Mohammed Faizal and three others in a case of an attempt to murder. Kerala HC passed the order on a plea of Faizal and others challenging a trial court's order at Lakshadweep in an attempt to murder case. Faizal filed the application seeking to suspend the 10-year imprisonment.
Earlier, the Kavaratti Sessions Court had convicted four persons, including Faizal. Thereafter, The UT Administration of Lakshadweep moved the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala High Court order, which suspended the conviction of Lakshadweep MP Faizal in the attempt to murder case.
