Plea to disqualify LJP’s Paras as MLC

PATNA: A lawyer filed a public interest litigation (PIL) at Patna high court on Tuesday seeking disqualification of LJP’s Pashupati Kumar Paras as member of the Bihar legislative council.

The lawyer, Manibhushan Pratap Sengar of Patna high court, said only persons who have rendered social services and worked in specific fields like literature, science and arts can be nominated from governor’s quota. “It is a clear case of misuse of power as the government nominated Paras as an MLC from governor’s quota despite knowing that he did not fulfil the criteria,” Sengar told the court.

Paras, younger brother of Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan was made animal and fisheries minister in Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in the state from LJP quota last month although he was neither an MLA nor an MLC. He took oath as an MLC on Monday after the government nominated him from governor’s quota.

Sengar urged the court to ask the state government to clarify whether Paras’s nomination fulfils the criteria under Article 171 and other provisions of the Indian Constitution.

Paras had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 assembly election from Alauli in Khagaria district.