The Maharashtra State Legislative Secretariat has revealed in an RTI inquiry that the constitutional post of the Deputy Speaker has been lying vacant for the past 28 months. It has been vacant since the BJP government came to power in Maharashtra in October, 2014.
RTI Activist Anil Galgali had filed a query with the state legislative secretariat. The constitutional post with its powers and responsibilities has never been kept in abeyance ever since the legislative assembly was formed in 1937. “This is a huge violation of the constitutional responsibilities. It is the first time that the August House has not elected a deputy speaker from among themselves as mandated by the Constitution of India,” Galgali said.
Subhash Nalawade, public information officer and under-secretary of the legislative secretariat has revealed in the reply that the preceding 12th assembly of the state was dissolved on completion of its term on November 8, 2014.
Article 178 of the Constitution of India mandates every Legislative Assembly to appoint two of its members as Speaker and Deputy Speaker as soon as possible. Article 180 of the Constitution of India proclaims that the Deputy Speaker will take over the duties and responsibilities of the Speaker in his absence.
Sheshrao Wankhede, Deendayal Gupta, Krishnarao Girme, Ramkrishna Bait, Syed Farooq Pasha, Shivraj Patil, Gajanan Garud, Suryakant Dongre, Shankarrao Jagtap, Kamalkishor Kadam, Padmasingh Patil, Babanrao Dhakane, Anna Joshi, Moreshwar Tembhurde, Sharad Tasre, Pramod Shende, Madhukarrao Chaudhary and Vasant Purke had been deputy speakers since the formation of Maharashtra in 1960.
Earlier, the state government had not appointed an Advocate General for over 18 months and Sanjay Dutt, Member of Legislative council from the Congress party had filed a petition in the Bombay high court.
“An Advocate General is also a constitutional post and the government is expected to govern upon his advice. But the BJP government had violated it and the appointment was made after the high court pulled up the state government,” said Dutt. He alleged the only agenda of the BJP government is to undermine every constitutional institution and authority. “We will take this up very strongly in the upcoming budget session of the state Assembly.”
