Supreme Court to Raghav Chadha: Apologise to Rajya Sabha Speaker

The Supreme Court has asked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha to meet Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar, and apologise for his alleged conduct in the House. 

The AAP leader was indefinitely suspended from Parliament on August 11 over allegations of not seeking permission from some MPs before deciding to include them in a proposed select committee to examine the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that Dhankar, who is also the Vice President of India, should consider Chadha's apology sympathetically, and try to "find a way forward".

The CJI noted that the AAP MP is a first-time parliamentarian and is also the youngest member.

Chadha's lawyer Shadan Farasat said that there is no "harm" in apologising to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

Attorney General R Venkataramani told the Supreme Court that the Privileges Committee of Parliament is meeting today and some developments in the case are expected.

The top court listed the case after Diwali, and asked the Attorney General to apprise it of further developments.

Last month, the top court said that suspending an MP indefinitely could have very serious repercussions on people's right to be represented by a person of their choice. The top court also asked if the ethics committee could order the AAP MP's suspension for an unspecified duration.