Panaji: BJP demanded on Tuesday that contempt proceedings be initiated against Congress Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao for his comments against the judiciary over the disqualification petition filed by Congress.
“Contempt proceedings should be initiated against Rao for the contemptuous, malicious and irresponsible statements casting aspersions on the judges of the SC. His frustration is palpable,” BJP general secretary and former South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar said.
He also said the statement smacks of arrogance and least respect for the judiciary.
On Monday, soon after a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde adjourned Congress’ petition for an early hearing into the disqualification petition filed against 10 rebel MLAs, Rao alleged that it appeared that the Supreme Court was backing defections engineered by BJP.
“By the time the judges decide to hear and dispose of the disqualification petition, it will be infructuous as elections in Goa will be in a year. The CJI seems to have his priorities set. Looks like defections by BJP has the backing of the Supreme Court,” Rao, the former Karnataka Congress president, alleged in a tweet.
A bench comprising CJI Bobde and justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian heard the matter and posted the next hearing for February.
State Congress president Girish Chodankar had approached the Supreme Court pointing out the nearly nine-month delay by the speaker in deciding the disqualification petitions filed against the MLAs.
Chodankar in his plea had cited an order in the Manipur assembly case passed by the Supreme Court in March 2019 and sought a direction to restrain the MLAs from attending the assembly proceedings during the pendency of the disqualification petition.
In August 2019, Congress filed a disqualification petition before the speaker against the 10 rebel MLAs who quit and joined BJP in July 2019.