PANJIM: While welcoming the Supreme Court judgment with regards to the disqualification of MLAs under the anti-defecation law, Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar admitted that Speaker is always under “burden” and “pressure” while taking decision on the disqualification petitions.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Parliament to amend the Constitution to strip Legislative Assembly speakers of their exclusive power to decide whether legislator should be disqualified or not under the anti-defection law. It has asked that an independent tribunal ought to be appointed instead to determine the fate of an MP or and MLA.
Addressing press advisory committee (PAC) members, Patnekar said that the decision of the Supreme Court is welcoming as the independent agency is a right body to take a decision in disqualification matters.
“Assembly speakers are MLAs of some or the other party. And hence, the Speaker would be always under burden and pressure while taking a decision,” he said.
A disqualification petition against ten former Congress MLAs including Deputy Speaker and Canacona MLA Isidore Fernandes and Deputy Chief Minister and Quepem MLA Chandrakant Kavlekar is currently pending before the Speaker. All the ten MLAs had merged Congress legislative wing with BJP, in July, last year.
Meanwhile, the five-day Budget session of the State Assembly beginning from February 3 has so far received total 814 questions, which include 205 starred and 609 unstarred.
The Speaker added that a total of five private member resolutions have also been received by the legislative department.
