Mohammad Faizal P P, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has been reinstated as a member of the Lok Sabha after being disqualified for over 10 weeks. The decision to revoke his disqualification was made by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh, who issued a notification citing the suspension of Faizal’s conviction and 10-year jail term by the Kerala High Court in an attempt to murder case. Faizal represents Lakshadweep in the lower house. The move comes ahead of a hearing in the Supreme Court on his petition in the matter.
The NCP welcomed the decision but expressed displeasure over the delay by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Faizal was disqualified from Lok Sabha on January 13, after he and three others were sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs one lakh each by a sessions court in Kavaratti for attempting to murder Mohammed Salih, son-in-law of the late Union Minister P M Sayeed, during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
Faizal, who was present in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, said he had to approach the Supreme Court to get himself reinstated. He also met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla along with NCP floor leader SupriyaSule. The decision comes against the backdrop of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case with a two-year jail term by a trial court in Gujarat. Gandhi is yet to appeal to a higher court against the verdict.
