Shillong: Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma on Tuesday disallowed a discussion in the House on the illegal coal mine blast that killed 33 people earlier this month, citing sub judice provisions under Assembly rules, a move that sparked strong protest from opposition benches.
Ruling on a demand for discussion, the Speaker said the matter was pending before a court of law and therefore could not be taken up in the legislature.
Referring to Rule 57 (sub-clause 6), he said the House was barred from debating issues that are sub judice, adding that his decision was final.
He also pointed out that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had already made a suo motu statement on the incident a day earlier.
The ruling drew immediate protest from opposition legislators, who accused the government of using legal provisions to shield itself from scrutiny over illegal mining.
The demand for discussion was raised by Voice of the People Party (VPP) MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit, who argued that repeated invocation of the sub judice rule was undermining the legislature’s right to debate matters of public importance.
Basaiawmoit said the opposition was not seeking to interfere with judicial proceedings or determine guilt, but wanted to examine administrative failures and policy lapses that allowed illegal mining to continue.
He maintained that legislative debate on governance and accountability was not barred simply because a case was pending in court.
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Leader of the Opposition Mukul Sangma supported the demand, calling it necessary for legislative oversight in matters involving public safety.
He suggested that the government explore legal options to separate the specific incident from broader litigation so that the Assembly could debate the issue.
Despite the appeals, the Speaker declined to revisit his ruling and refused to allow further discussion.
The mine blast occurred in the Thangsko area of East Jaintia Hills district on February 5 and has since triggered intense political backlash, with opposition parties repeatedly demanding accountability and a comprehensive debate on the continued prevalence of illegal rat-hole mining in the state.
As Report
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