Police tried the Assembly gate. The court said no

The Telangana High Court has declined to vacate its interim direction preventing police from stopping BRS legislators from entering the Assembly. The order keeps a basic constitutional arrangement intact: police may maintain order, but Assembly-rule violations are for the Speaker to deal with—not an improvised gatekeeping exercise by the force. The court reportedly said there was “no question of allowing” MLAs to enter the House because entering was their right. [The quoted remarks are reported by media and have not been checked against the court’s order.] (Source: The South First; Times of India)

The case follows the September 7 protest at the Assembly gates. The BRS alleged that police obstructed legislators and manhandled women members; the State denied those allegations and said some legislators pushed police personnel and tried to force their way through the gate. The court has not, on the material available, finally determined what happened in the confrontation.

The court also directed DGP C. V. Anand to identify officials accused of misbehaving with women legislators. If the incident occurred inside the Assembly precincts, the details are to go to Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar; if it occurred at the entry point outside the precincts, the DGP must report to the High Court. The police now have an assignment. It is not, apparently, to decide who may enter the legislature.