The ruling Telugu Desam Party on Friday prevented the entry of YSR Congress MLA R K Roja into the Andhra Pradesh Assembly.
This comes even as the aggrieved member had obtained an interim order from the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad against her suspension from the House.
Roja told The News Minute, "I don't want to comment much on the issue now, I will only speak on Monday after the hearing. Even after the court orders, I was not allowed in the AP Assembly on Friday. Even after our party chief Jagan Mohan Reddy fought with security officials they didn't allow me inside. They want a written permission from the speaker it seems, then only they will allow me, the security officials said.”
"I was suspended on December 18, but I didn’t get any official suspension letter from the speaker. I received the letter in March, that too in the court. They don't want to give a written statement to allow me in the assembly as they have to give a legal statement,” she added.
The YSRC first staged a protest sit-in on the Assembly premises and then drove to the Raj Bhavan to submit a petition to the Governor against Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao for violating the court order.
The Legislative Affairs Department, meanwhile, filed a petition before the Division Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad against the single judge’s interim order.
Inside the House, the Speaker announced that he has received an order of the High Court on Roja’s suspension issue.
"It was the House that unanimously decided to place the member under suspension for a year. 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.
He got the court order copies circulated to all members "to study and discuss the issue on Monday".
The YSRC boycotted the Assembly proceedings today in protest against the denial of entry to Roja.
Roja, YSRC MLA from Nagari in Chittoor district, was suspended from the Assembly for a year, during the winter session in December last, for using unparliamentary and abusive language against certain members of the TDP, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Roja then filed a writ petition challenging the House’s decision.
Justice A Ramalingeswara Rao of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad issued an interim order yesterday saying "this court came to the prima facie conclusion that motion carried out was contrary to Rule 340 of the Rules of House.
"Hence, there shall be an interim suspension of the motion to suspend the petitioner (Roja) carried out on December 18, 2015 by the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, pending disposal of the writ petition," it said.
The judge also noted that the order was "not an endorsement of the conduct of the petitioner" in the House nor against the authority of the Hon’ble Speaker to take action against the erring member.
(With PTI inputs)