Click to play videoMumbai: The Maharashtra assembly saw high political drama on Friday after state Chief Election Commissioner Nandlal was released. The Maharashtra Assembly had, in an unprecedented step on Thursday, sentenced Lal to two days of imprisonment for breach of privilege.
The bureaucrat has threatened to question the legality of his arrest; but the legislature is in no mood to entertain a legal battle. Lal alleges his arrest is a political vendetta.
“He (Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh) has so many times committed breach of code of conduct for which notices were issued, and he has felt necessary through others to put me in proper place so that I bow to his desire. Come what may, I'm even ready to die, but I’ll not compromise with my principles. I’ve never done that in my life and I’ll never do it in future,” Lal says.
Nand Lal's arrest is now snowballing into a major political controversy with opposition as well as former bureaucrats targeting the government over this arrest.
“The actions taken against Shri Nand Lal, I think, are not correct,” Maharashtra Opposition Leader Gopinath Munde says.
Lal had issued an order on March 7, 2006, that only the State Election Commission had the powers to conduct elections of office bearers of civic bodies such as mayors, deputy mayors and chairmen.
"If there is a report of the Committee, it should be made public. There should be enough time given to public to understand and comment on it,” former bureaucrat Madhav Godbole explains.
The harsh legal action against a constitutional authority shows how bitter the battle between legislature and bureaucrats can get, however, this doesn't seem to be the end of it. Nand Lal is going to take the matter to the courts now.
The drama seems set to continue because after hearing that Nand Lal has approached court, the assembly passed another resolution on Friday evening stating that it will not respond to any court orders on this issue, hence paving the way for a possible constitutional stand off.
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