Uttar Pradesh Assembly converted into a court and then a jail for six cops for a day

Lucknow: The UP Vidhan Sabha was converted into a court on Friday - dock et al - and a retired IAS officer (former police officer) and five serving policemen were sentenced to a one-day imprisonment inside a cell in the assembly for misbehaving and using force against a BJP legislator 19 years ago.

The rare exercise was carried out under Article 194 of the Constitution that lays down powers and privileges of the legislature and its members, on the recommendations of special privilege committees constituted both in 2005-06 and in 2022-23.

Abdul Samad, then circle officer of Babupurwa in Kanpur who retired as an IAS officer last year and five other policemen were sentenced for breach of special privilege and contempt of the house and ordered to be confined to a cell inside the assembly built for such situations until Friday midnight. It was ordered that they be provided with food and water and accorded appropriate behaviour.


The matter dates back to September 2004 when then BJP MLA Salil Vishnoi (current BJP MLC) was misbehaved with, abused and lathi charged by the six policemen during a peaceful protest in Kanpur. He also suffered a fracture in one of his legs.

The issue was brought before a special privilege committee of the assembly in October that year and a year later, based on evidence and video footage of the incident, a recommendation for punishment was made. In 2021, the advocate general was consulted and his opinion was in line with the recommendation of the committee, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Khanna shared with the assembly while passing the necessary resolutions for converting the assembly into a court and to decide tenure of the punishment.