The opposition’s move in the Lok Sabha to remove Speaker Om Birla from the post undermined the parliamentary traditions, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta said on Monday.. Gupta urged that the members respect constitutional institutions. (HT Photo). In a letter written to Birla, he asserted that the neutrality of the Chair of the House is central to the parliamentary democracy of the country, and urged that the members respect constitutional institutions.. The resolution brought by the opposition parties, seeking the removal of Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker, was defeated by a voice vote last Wednesday.. Gupta, in his letter to Birla, said, “It is deeply saddening that certain opposition parties, driven by narrow political considerations, chose to bring a motion against the incumbent Speaker – an office that stands above partisan politics and is entrusted with safeguarding the rules, traditions and dignity of Parliament.”. Defeat of the motion reaffirmed the confidence of the members in the authority and impartial functioning of the Chair, the Delhi Assembly speaker asserted.. The authority of the Chair ensures that parliamentary proceedings are conducted in an orderly and impartial manner while safeguarding the rights and privileges of Members across the political spectrum, he said.. The attempt to bring a motion against the Speaker risks undermining the spirit of parliamentary functioning if driven by “narrow political motivations”, Gupta said and appreciated those Lok Sabha MPs who were against the “ill-conceived” effort.. Under the stewardship of Birla, the Lok Sabha has continued to function with balance and dignity, enabling meaningful democratic debate while maintaining the discipline and decorum that define parliamentary institutions, he added. 

 MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin legislator has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct in connection with a bitter feud with her caucus over being excluded from resolutions honoring Hispanics and breaking with her party on state budget and legislative district boundary votes.. Wisconsin legislator pleads no contest to disorderly conduct in feud over Hispanic resolutions. Prosecutors in Milwaukee County charged state Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez in February. The Milwaukee Democrat pleaded no contest during a hearing Friday, and Judge Paul Malloy ordered her to pay a $300 fine and submit a DNA sample. She could have faced up to 90 days in jail.. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but means the accused will offer no defense. The plea is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice system.. Ortiz-Velez said in a statement after the sentencing that she will pay the fine and remains focused on her constituents, not caucus infighting.. “My voting choices caused a rift that has been ugly and bitter,” she said. “My constituents did not send me to Madison to litigate internal caucus disputes or be distracted by the personal feuds — they sent me there to deliver results.”. A spokesperson from Assembly Democratic Minority Leader Greta Neubauer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.. The feud began in August as Democratic members of the state Assembly were planning resolutions honoring Hispanic heritage and Hispanic veterans in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month in September, according to the criminal complaint.. Ortiz-Velez grew angry because she believed an unnamed lawmaker drafting the heritage resolution had intentionally excluded her from working on it.. The complaint states that she had been invited to work on the resolution in June and chose not to participate but still wanted to help draft the language. She contacted media outlets saying she had been intentionally left out of the resolution work. She also told the resolution’s author that she felt excluded from working on another resolution that same legislator was crafting honoring Hispanic veterans, saying her late husband was a Hispanic veteran.. Two more unnamed lawmakers told investigators that Ortiz-Velez told them in separate phone conversations that she was going to spread “negative personal information” about the resolutions’ author to the media and that “they are going to do what I want them to do, or I’m going to x, y and z,” according to the complaint.. When one of the lawmakers asked her what that meant, she made comments about the resolutions’ author’s personal life and other legislators. The complaint characterized those remarks as “indecent and tended to disrupt the good public order” but does not elaborate or offer any more specificity.. Democratic leaders issued a statement in September saying Ortiz-Velez had made a comment about shooting three caucus members. That statement came a day after another state 

 The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday warned of ‘legal action’ against individuals posting “misleading and factually incorrect information” about its examination and evaluation processes on social media platforms. The board also cautioned teachers involved in the evaluation process that ‘disciplinary action’ may be taken if they share comments, opinions or experiences related to the evaluation on social media as the evaluation process is confidential and governed by strict protocols.. The CBSE board examinations 2026 for Classes 10 and 12 began on February 18 this year. (File photo). The board issued two circulars on Monday – one for individuals who are not directly involved in the evaluation process and another for teachers involved in the evaluation process including digital On Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation for Class 12 board examinations 2026.. In the first circular, the board said that it noted that certain individuals, including those not directly involved in the evaluation process or those engaged in digital evaluation, are posting misleading and factually incorrect information on social media platforms. “Such actions are creating unnecessary confusion among stakeholders and adversely affecting the credibility of the examination system,” said Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE’s controller of examinations in one of the circulars.. Also Read: CBSE cancels Class 12 board exams in the West Asia amid US-Iran war. He said sharing false or misleading information about CBSE examinations or evaluation processes on social media is strictly prohibited. Individuals are also barred from using the name, logo, or images of CBSE buildings to create confusion or mislead the public.. “Individuals found indulging in such activities will be liable for legal action under relevant provisions. Stakeholders are advised not to believe and pay importance to such posts which are not posted by CBSE,” he added.. In the second circulars, the board said that it noted that certain individuals engaged in the evaluation process of Class 10 and Class 12 examinations are posting comments, opinions, and experiences on social media platforms. “Many of these posts are misleading, factually incorrect, and have the potential to create confusion and spread rumours among stakeholders,” the circular signed by Bhardwaj reads.. Through a second circular, the board reminded teachers that the evaluation process is confidential and governed by strict protocols, and that sharing any information, experiences, or opinions related to it on public platforms is strictly prohibited.. “Any attempt to spread rumours or misrepresent facts on social media is a violation of professional conduct and may invite disciplinary action,” Bhardwaj said while advising teachers to exercise restraint and uphold the integrity of the examination system.. “The board expects all evaluators to maintain confidentiality, dignity, and professionalism in the discharge of th 

 The decision on the suspension of eight Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) is likely to be withdrawn, people familiar with the matter told HT after a meeting was convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.. Congress members, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, had staged a protest against the suspension. (HT Photo). The suspension, which took place after a resolution was passed by the Lok Sabha in the first part of the Budget Session, might be revoked on Tuesday. The suspended members include Manickam Tagore, Kiran Reddy, Prashant Padole, Hibi Eden, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurjeet Aujla, S Venkat Raman, and Dean Kuriakose.. The seven Congress MPs and a CPI(M) member were suspended for the entire Budget session over unruly behaviour. The Budget session will conclude on April 2.. According to sources, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called a meeting of all parties, wherein they agreed on revoking the suspension of the eight Opposition MPs.. It was further agreed that no member would walk towards the other side and restrict themselves in the Well of the House, and that members would not cross over to the treasury benches.. There was general consensus regarding members avoiding tearing papers and throwing it towards the Chair, climbing on chairs and tables, and the use of AI-generated posters, sources said. Opposition parties had been urging Birla to revoke the suspensions of the MPs.. Why were the MPs suspended?. The resolution for the suspension of the MPs was moved by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju last month.. Rijiju said that the MPs had thrown papers during an uproar after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi sought to quote an article referring to former Army Chief MM Naravane’s unpublished memoir.. Following this, Congress members, led by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest outside the Parliament building against suspension of party members from the Lok Sabha. This came even as the Lower House saw repeae 

 Chaos, allegations of irregularities, some legislators allegedly out of reach and the routine procedure – a lot unfolded as elections to 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states took place on Monday.. Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary and BJP National President Nitin Nabin at the Bihar Vidhan Sabha to cast their votes amid the Rajya Sabha polls in Patna on Monday. (ANI). While 26 candidates had reportedly been elected unopposed, elections were held to fill the remaining 11 seats, including five from Bihar, four from Odisha, and two from Haryana. Among those elected unopposed are Sharad Pawar, Abhishek Singhvi, Tiruchi Siva, and Vinod Tawade. Track LIVE updates on Rajya Sabha elections here. In the Upper House, members are elected by MLAs of state assemblies through the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote, conducted through an open ballot.. If all seats are not filled through first-preference votes, the surplus votes of winning candidates are transferred to other candidates who fall short of the required number. If that still does not help a candidate reach the required 41-vote mark, second-preference votes come into play.. • The absence of three Congress MLAs and one Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA in Bihar is likely to ensure victory for the NDA candidates contesting for the Upper House in the state. Many NDA leaders, across BJP and JDU, have already stated that they are set for a clean sweep in the elections.. • In Odisha, at least five MLAs from the Opposition Biju Janata Dal and Congress have reportedly voted for an independent nominee Dilip Ray, who has been backed by the BJP, PTI news agency reported.. • Polling for four Rajya Sabha seats in Odisha was halted for about 30 minutes over a dispute on the issuance of a second ballot paper to a BJP MLA, PTI reported. The BJD agent objected to the issuing of the second ballot paper to BJP MLA Upasana Mohapatra, who had sought another for overwriting on the one given to her earlier.. • Meanwhile, ahead of polling, the Congress had moved some of its Haryana MLAs to Kasauli on Friday over fears of cross-voting. The MLAs were moved along with state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and returned to Chandigarh on Monday morning, according to the PTI report.. • Former Odisha chief minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik accused the BJP of horse-trading. “As has been discussed in the last few days about the BJP and their allies, it is clear what is meant for the horse trading they will do. They have collected a number of people to work for them. Most of them have criminal pasts, I am ashamed to say,” Patnaik told the media, ANI reported.