Office of profit: EC rejects AAP MLAs’ plea

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 17

Rejecting Aam Aadmi Party MLAs’ plea to cross-examine a petitioner in the disqualification case against them for allegedly holding “office-of-profit”, the Election Commission (EC) in a 70-page order today fixed the date for final hearing on July 23.

Rejecting AAP MLAs’ plea, the EC said, “There is no need for the cross-examination of the petitioner as he is not a witness in the present proceedings and the respondents have failed to make out a case for calling any witness as pleaded in their applications. Therefore, this Commission dismisses the applications under consideration.”

The Poll panel is hearing afresh the case related to disqualification of 20 AAP MLAs for allegedly holding the offices of profit by virtue of their appointment as parliamentary secretaries.

The Delhi AAP legislators had moved the plea on May 16 for cross-examination of petitioner Prashant Patel, and officials of the Assembly and city government to prove that they were not holding any office of profit by being appointed as parliamentary secretaries.