PANJIM: Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Friday adjourned the hearing to January 19, 2024, of the disqualification petition filed by Dominic Noronha against eight rebel Congress MLAs after some of them sought time to file their replies.
Of the eight respondents, five sought time to file their replies stating that their lawyer was indisposed.
Earlier, these five respondents had urged the Speaker to reject the disqualification petition filed against them with costs, stating that the petitioner Noronha was not a Member of the Goa Assembly and that disqualification proceedings are to be decided with the Assembly and upon reference being made by a Member of the Assembly. They had argued that the applicant had no locus to maintain the petition.
However the respondents did not press for the order since the Speaker had already given his ruling while hearing another disqualification petition filed by Goa Congress president Amit Patkar against two turncoats – the then leader of the Opposition Michael Lobo and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat.
