PANJIM: The disqualification petition filed by Congress president Amit Patkar against two rebel party MLAs Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat was adjourned to January 15, as the Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar abstained.
The matter was posted for Friday evening for hearing on merits. Both, the petitioner and respondents with the counsels were present but the Speaker was unavailable.
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The Speaker by an order dated December 26, 2023, has taken on record the replies of the both the respondents to the main application even as the petitioner had opposed it.
Both the respondents – then Leader of the Opposition Lobo and Kamat had on January 16, 2023 had prayed for rejection of petition on ground that Patkar was not an MLA but the Speaker dismissed their applications on June 13, 2023 stating that any interested person can file the disqualification petition against a particular MLA under the tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
On June 26, the respondents submitted another application seeking to take on record replies filed by them. They stated that if their preliminary objections were accepted then there no need to file replies to the main petition.
Patkar opposed the application stating it was filed after a week when it had to be filed within a week as per Rule 7 (3) (b) of the Disqualification Rules, and that the respondents did not file application for condonation of delay.
