Team Herald
PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday adjourned the disqualification petitions filed by the opposition Congress and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) against 12 rebel MLAs to January 5.
When the matter came up for hearing, Adv Carlos Alvares Ferreira started arguing his case on behalf of MGP legislator Sudin Dhavalikar but the division bench found that it will require more time and asked both the parties how much time they will require. The lawyers representing the Goa Assembly Speaker and the 12 MLAs sought substantial time to present their contentions.
Since the present Division Bench comprising Justices Sadhana Jadhav and Revati Mohite Dere will sit till Thursday, December 23 and the Bench is likely to change after Christmas vacation, the further hearings were adjourned to January 5.
Speaking to media persons after the hearing was adjourned, petitioners counsel said that they expect that justice will be done and a judgment which will have far reaching consequences for the entire country as far as defection is concerned will be delivered.
“Mergers are going on day in and day out. Courts have to take a call on this, to see behind the intentions of the Tenth Schedule of Constitution to curb the evil of defection,” said Adv Ferreira.
The Congress president Girish Chodankar and MGP legislator Sudin Dhavalikar have filed appeals before the High Court challenging the Goa Assembly Speaker’s verdict dismissing their disqualification petitions against the rebel MLAs.
Chodankar is pleading disqualification of 10 rebel MLAs who switched over to BJP in July 2019 while, Dhavalikar too has is seeking disqualification of its former MLAs who defected to BJP in March 2019.
Meanwhile, 10 of the 12 respondent MLAs filed their replies before the court on Monday. The Speaker and Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar had filed their affidavit-in-reply during the last hearing on December 10.
