Apex court bars Amarinder from entering Punjab assembly

In a jolt to former Punjab chief minister and expelled legislator Amarinder Singh, the supreme court on Monday refused to allow him to attend the assembly. The budget session is scheduled to begin on February 27.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by chief justice KG Balakrishnan declined to grant any interim relief to Singh, who was expelled last September from the House for his alleged involvement in the Amritsar land scam.

“We are not inclined to pass any interim order,” the bench  said, declining the plea that Singh should be allowed to participate in the assembly proceedings without the right to vote.

The apex court said the three-judge bench, which referred the matter to the constitution bench, had already refused to grant interim stay on the expulsion of Singh from the assembly.  He  was expelled for “breach of privilege” after a resolution was passed on a report of a special committee in the land scam.