Nand Lal won't give in, moves HC over House verdict

MUMBAI: A fresh round of confrontation between the state election commissioner Nand Lal and the political establishment is on the cards. After spending a night in prison on orders of the state assembly, Mr Lal on Friday challenged the legislature’s decision to punish him, before the Bombay high court. Mr Lal, who has been at loggerheads with chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for quite some time, accused him of political vendetta and declared a war on the chief minister. Mr Lal, who was kept in Arthur Road Jail where underworld don Abu Salem is also lodged, has challenged his conviction. The Maharashtra assembly on Thursday approved a resolution, sentencing the former IAS officer to two days ‘simple custody’ following the report of the House Privileges Committee in a breach of privilege matter against him in 2006. The committee had summoned Mr Lal on January 16, seeking a reply on the allegation that he breached state assembly’s privilege by his order in 2006 that elections to the local bodies shall be conducted by election commission, not the state government. Mr Lal refused to appear personally, but sent a written reply. The committee rejected the reply as it was not signed by him, and recommended on Thursday that he should be sentenced to seven days’ civil custody for his absence. Soon after the House passed the resolution, Mr Lal was picked up by policemen in plain clothes from his first floor office opposite Mantralaya and taken to the jail in central Mumbai. He was released at 10.30 am on Friday, much before his two-day term was over. Explaining the logic behind Mr Lal’s early release, a Vidhan Bhavan official said “He was sentenced to two days simple custody and not to 48-hour simple custody. He was taken into custody before sunset yesterday which was counted as the first day of his sentence. He was released after sunrise, which was counted as second day of his sentence.” Shortly after coming out of the jail, Mr Lal, blasted the chief minister for “exerting pressure through intermediaries to de-reserve Mr Deshmukh’s Latur constituency in Marathwada region.” He dubbed the punishment meted out to him as “arbitrary and against principles of natural justice”. THE ECONOMIC TIMES; 29 Mar, 2008, 0313 hrs IST, TNN