PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Friday concluded hearing arguments in the disqualification matter against 10 defected Congress MLAs, and reserved its verdict. Hearing into another plea filed by the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) against two other defected MLAs also concluded, on Friday.
The final hearing into the pleas commenced last week. The petitioners and the respondents made their submissions and arguments following which the Division Bench reserved the order.
One of the petitioners, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar, who sought disqualification of 10 Congress MLAs who had defected to BJP in 2019, stated that the interpretation given by the Speaker in his impugned disqualification order is contrary to the aims and objectives of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India, that is, prevention of defection and it defeats the very purpose the Schedule which was enacted in the year 1985 and thereafter strengthened by amendment in the year 2003.

