HYDERABAD, NOV 13: Probably for the first time in the history of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, a few members of the House took oath second time on Friday.Bringing down the curtain on the controversy raised by the Opposition Congress regarding the Constitutional validity of the oaths taken by the members in the name of their relatives and others, Speaker K Pratibha Bharati ruled that those who have not taken the oath according to the format set out in the Constitution should take the pledge again.The issue of oath taken by some MLAs in the name of parents, relatives, eminent political leaders and persons in the home constituencies, and its legal sanctity was raised by Congress member M V Mysoora Reddy in the House on Thursday.Responding to this, the Speaker, in her ruling, said : "I feel that, strictly speaking, such procedure is not in conformity with the format set out in the Constitution. I therefore direct that such members who have not taken the oath according to the format set outin the Constitution may do it again".Accordingly, TDP MLAs N Prasanna Kumar Reddy, G Uma and D Umamaheswar Rao and Congress MLAs Galla Aruna Kumari, K Surekha, G S Appala Naidu, Challa Ramakrishna Reddy, D Sridhar and M Sivunnaidu took the oath again either in the name of god or conscience.P Raghunath Reddy, P Anantha Lakshmi and B Sanjeeva Rao, who also took the oath on November 11 in deviation of the Constitution, were not present in the House on Friday morning to correct their mistake.Meanwhile, two of the three members of the House who did not take the oath so far - B Gopalakrishna Reddy and P Narsimha Raju - took the pledge on Friday. B Narayana Reddy did not attend the House for the third consecutive day.In respect of the point of order raised by Mysoora Reddy seeking clarification as to whether a member was entitled to make any statement in the House before signing the rolls concerned the pledge regarding adherence to the new rules introduced in the previous Assembly, Pratibha Bharatiruled that the moment the member takes the oath under Article 188, he/she would be entitled to discharge his/her duties and obligations arising by or under the Constitution."Signing in the rolls serves as a piece of evidence that a particular member has taken oath. The non-signing in the rolls of members does not dis-entitle a member to take the oath prescribed under the rules. I therefore rule that the second oath administered to members before signing in the rolls is in order. In these aspects, there is no need to administer the same again," she said.Subsequently, Kolla Appala Naidu, who acted as protem Speaker during the first two days of the session took the pledge of abiding by the rules of the House.
