Only acted under law on swearing in nominated MLAs: Bedi

Chennai: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, who has drawn flak for swearing in three members nominated to the Assembly, today said she acted according to the law and there was "no conflict" in it. "Under the Union Territory bylaws, the Government of India is entitled to nominate three members to the Legislative Assembly. The section further states that the oath of office can be administered by anybody who has the power. That is what I did," she told reporters at the airport here.

Bedi said the Union government nominated three people under the Union Territory bylaws and they were administered the oath of office under it. Noting that the three MLAs had given to her in writing that they had not received a timeframe on when the swearing-in would take place, she said it was due to these reasons that the ceremony was conducted in her chambers in Raj Nivas.

"Legal rights have been exercised by the Government of India and the legal responsibility has been fulfilled by the Lieutenant Governor," Bedi said. On a Congress MLA filing a plea in the Madras High Court seeking that the notification nominating the three members be quashed, she said, "Anybody can approach the court but that does not take (away) the power of the Central government to nominate three MLAs". "There is no confusion.

There is no conflict," she said, adding, "What wrong have I done? They have been nominated under the law." BJP Puducherry unit president V Saminathan, party treasurer K G Shankar and educationist S Selvaganapathy were recently nominated to the Assembly by the Union Home ministry. They were sworn in by Bedi on July 4. Chief Minister V Narayanasamy termed her action a "murder of democracy" and accused her of working like a "BJP agent." Puducherry has 30 elected members in the Assembly.