PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Friday adjourned the disqualification petition filed by the opposition Congress and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) against 12 rebel MLAs to December 20.
The Court had already clubbed together both the petitions filed by the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar against its 10 rebel MLAs and MGP MLA Ramkrishna (Sudin) Dhavalikar, who filed against two former party MLAs.
Both the petitioners have challenged Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar’s verdict dismissing their disqualification petitions against the former MLAs for switching their loyalties to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019.
As the court was rising for the half-day, senior counsel Adv Vivek Tankha mentioned the matter. The division bench told him to take up the matter on December 20 after hearing cases for admissions.
During the last hearing on November 22, the court had issued notices to the 12 rebel MLAs and the Goa Assembly Speaker asking them to file their replies. So far the Speaker and one of the 12 respondent MLAs have filed their replies.
Congress president Girish Chodankar has challenged the Speaker’s order dismissing his disqualification petition filed against 10 rebel MLAs while, Dhavalikar has also challenged the Speaker’s verdict wherein he dismissed his disqualification petition against two former MLAs, who switched over to BJP in March 2019.
Goa Forward Party (GFP) has also filed an intervention application praying that its application be allowed and the party be given an opportunity to present its case.
Later speaking to media persons, Tankha hoped that the division bench will conclude the hearing and dispose the matter before the winter vacations.
