PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Friday heard the final arguments on the writ petition filed by the Congress party pleading to direct the Assembly Speaker to decide the disqualification petition against eight rebel Congress MLAs within a period of 90 days and reserved the order.
Arguing on behalf of the petitioner Girish Chodankar, Adv Abhijeet Gosavli contended that the Speaker is deliberately keeping the disqualification petition pending when the law clearly states that disqualified MLAs must not be allowed to be in power even for a day.
Adv Gosavi had prayed that the Speaker be directed to decide the matter in a time-bound manner more particularly in terms of law laid down by the Supreme Court that disqualification petitions be decided within three months.
On the other hand, the Speaker contended that he had already decided to take up the disqualification petitions in sequence as it is filed.
Accordingly, hearing on the disqualification petition first filed by Congress President Amit Patkar against the then Leader of the Opposition Michael Lobo and MLA Digambar Kamat has been initiated and it will be decided first.
Patkar had filed his disqualification petitions against the two MLAs in July last year.
On Friday, the Special Bench comprising Justice M S Karnik and Justice Valmiki S A Menezes heard the final arguments by the counsel for the respondents and reserved the matter for orders.
After completion of the hearing, Adv Gosavi said that there is concerted effort or a strategy by the Speaker in taking a decision on the disqualification petitions to delay so that the petitioner does not approach the Supreme Court.
