UP Vidhan Sabha turns into court; punishes 6 policemen for use of force against MLA

The Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha turned into a court on Friday to sentence six policemen (one of them retired) to imprisonment till midnight in a case from 2004.

The six were accused of breaking up a silent procession against the worsening power situation in Kanpur in 2004, hurling abuses and caning the protestors who were led by MLA Salil Bishnoi. They took the action despite the protestors clarifying that they were taking out a silent procession and only wanted to hand over a memorandum to the district magistrate. The MLA later filed a privilege notice before the then speaker Mata Prasad Pandey. A committee (2005-6) found all six cops guilty of breach of privilege and contempt of the Vidhan Sabha.

Of the six cops, Abdul Samad retired in February 2022. The other accused were Rishikant Shukla, Triloki Singh, Chotte Singh Yadav, Vinod Mishra and Meherban Singh Yadav.

All six stood in an enclosure in the Vidhan Sabha, listening to the minister for Parliamentary affairs outline the charges against them and arguing that they be punished to send out a message that the privilege of the legislature and its members could not be tampered with.

When allowed to speak, Samad sought forgiveness from legislators, while another accused cop promised never to repeat such a behaviour.

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Satish Mahana said the hearing and the subsequent punishment were not directed against any individual but initiated in order to maintain the honour of the House and also to make the distinction between the legislature and the executive. “Our Constitution places ‘we the people’ as supreme and as representatives of those very people, it is imperative that their honour be maintained,” he said.

The imprisonment of the guilty will not be in a prison but in a room in the Vidhan Sabha itself, which has been constructed for such occurrences. The Speaker said that no misbehaviour shall be directed against the guilty and arrangements for food be made. They shall be in the room till just past 12 am, when the date changes to March 4.

He said the decision of the legislature was paramount and that it would have far-reaching consequences.