12 AAP MLAs suspended for demanding resignation of Delhi minister Kapil Mishra

New Delhi: The final day of the first Budget Session of the newly constituted eighth Assembly witnessed high drama as 12 AAP MLAs were suspended after they staged a protest demanding the resignation of Delhi Law and Justice Minister Kapil Mishra.

The protest erupted a day after a court directed the registration of an FIR against Mishra over his alleged role in the 2020 Delhi riots.

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Carrying placards and raising slogans, AAP legislators stormed into the well of the House, prompting Speaker Vijender Gupta to suspend 12 opposition MLAs—Atishi, Kuldeep Kumar, Sanjeev Jha, Mukesh Ahlawat, Surendra Kumar, Jarnail Singh, Aaley Mohammed Iqbal, Anil Jha, Vishesh Ravi, Som Dutt, Sahi Ram, and Prem Chauhan.

Leader of Opposition Atishi, leading the protests, accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of shielding Mishra. “All the accused in the riots are in jail. Why is Kapil Mishra not behind bars? We are demanding his resignation, but the BJP is protecting him,” she told PTI Videos.

AAP said in a post on X in Hindi, “The court has ordered an FIR against Kapil Mishra, who is responsible for the death of 53 people in the Delhi riots. But Delhi Police and the BJP government are working to save Kapil Mishra and the chief minister is not asking for Kapil Mishra’s resignation.”

Speaker Gupta instructed the Assembly secretary to verify whether the suspended MLAs remained within the premises and were continuing their protest despite the suspension order.

Speaker Gupta during the first session of the eighth Assembly on March 3, ruled that any MLA who is suspended or marshalled out must vacate the Vidhan Sabha premises entirely.

The ruling comes in response to a dispute over whether the suspended legislators could remain in certain areas of the Assembly complex, such as the lawns and the office of the Leader of Opposition.

The protest follows a court ruling by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia on Tuesday, which found a “prima facie” case for investigation against Mishra. The court ordered Delhi Police to file a compliance report by April 16.

The legal proceedings stem from a complaint by Yamuna Vihar resident Mohammad Ilyas, who alleged Mishra’s involvement in the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, leaving 53 dead and scores injured.

Delhi Police, however, opposed the plea, saying that Mishra had no role in the riots and that an attempt was being made to shift the blame onto him.

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