Team Herald
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned to March 1 the hearing of two petitions for disqualification of a dozen MLAs of Goa, after a plea was advanced by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar that the Court cannot issue directions to him.
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A Bench of Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian was hearing the two petitions against the Speaker delaying a decisions on disqualifying the MLAs under the anti-defection law.
Postponing the hearing to March 1, the Bench put on record in its order the Solicitor General’s statement that “the disqualification petitions have been listed by the Goa Assembly Speaker for disposal on February 26”.
Both Chodankar and Dhavalikar had to knock at the Supreme Court’s doors since the Speaker had delayed hearing the pleas and was not taking any decision on them
One petition is by Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar against the defection of his party’s 10 MLAs and another by Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar against his party’s two MLAs defecting to the ruling BJP to become ministers during the term of the current Assembly. Chodankar has also made the defectors party in the petition.
