Acting on the recommendations of the Lok Sabha Committee that looked into the “cash-for-votes” scam, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday recommended that the Home Ministry probe the role of three persons linked to the scam. In addition, the Speaker also cautioned the media against “premature disclosure of the evidence tendered before the Committee” warning that it “may attract penal powers of the House”.Chatterjee told the Lok Sabha that he would recommend a Home Ministry probe into the role of Sanjeev Saxena, said to be a former aide of Amar Singh, Sudheendra Kulkarni, believed to be a close aide of BJP leader L K Advani, and Suhail Hindustani, who is alleged to have facilitated the sting.“The committee has, however, found the evidence given before the committee by three persons involved in this episode as unconvincing and suggested that their role in the matter needs to be investigated by investigating agencies,” said Chatterjee. On Monday, the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee, which exonerated SP leader Amar Singh and Congress leader Ahmad Patel, had recommended a further investigation into the roles played by these three persons.Chatterjee’s announcement was followed by protests by angry BJP members, led by Santosh Kumar Gangawar and Anant Kumar among others, demanding that the Speaker record the dissent note by the BJP MP and inquiry committee member Vijay Malhotra. BJP members were supported by the MPs from Left parties. Malhotra and Left MP Mohammad Salim had distanced themselves from the recommendations of the inquiry committee by appending dissent notes to the final report. Both leaders had expressed objection to the committee’s conclusion exonerating Amar Singh and Ahmad Patel.The Speaker also announced that the currency notes displayed by the three BJP MPs, who had alleged that they were offered this money as bribe to help the UPA Government pass the trust vote on July 22, will be retained by the Lok Sabha Secretary General for a period of one month for the purpose of investigation after which it will deposited with the Government as “unclaimed money”.Even as the Speaker declined the BJP demand of recording some committee members’ dissent notes to the final recommendations, he warned the media about its reporting on the scam. Terming some reports on the scam as “factually incorrect” and based on “unsubstantiated and unauthorised sources”, Speaker said “the committee has rightly observed that such (news) reports, besides amounting to a breach of privilege and contempt of the House, also amount to lowering the dignity of the Inquiry Committee as well as the House and may attract penal powers of the House”. Chatterjee cautioned media to honour the dignity of the House by avoiding any premature disclosure of the evidence tendered before the Committee.Pointing out that the Lok Sabha is “usually reluctant to exercise its penal powers, in case of each such transgression, newspapers and television channels need to realise that they do not enhance their dignity by lowering the dignity of Parliamentary Committees and the House in such a manner,” Chatterjee said.
