In all likelihood, the tussle between the Maharashtra legislature and State Election Commissioner Nand Lal over his jurisdiction and powers will intensify. On his release from the Arthur Road jail on Friday, Nand Lal who was sent to jail for two days by the state Assembly — which found him guilty of breach of its privileges — said he would continue his fight to “ensure free and fair elections” even if that “leads to life imprisonment”. Lal challenged his punishment in the Bombay High Court and the state Assembly passed a resolution saying the Speaker and other members would ignore any court notice or summons on the issue.

Lal, a 63-year-old former IAS officer, was arrested on Thursday after the Legislative Assembly sentenced him to two days imprisonment for breach of privileges and showing contempt for the legislature. Speaking after his release from Jail, Lal said, “I am talking to my counterparts in other states. I have already spoken to 10 of them.”

He said the claim of the chairperson of the Privileges Committee, Chandrakant Chhajed, that he had ignored notices and did not reply with his signature was incorrect, as he had done so on January 4, 2008. He said the Privileges Committee delivered its verdict without taking his letter into consideration. “It is wrong to punish a person merely because he did not appear before the Committee,” he said, pointing out that he had always obeyed law and that except in Maharashtra, internal elections of civic bodies were being conducted by the respective SECs in other states.

... contd.