NT NETWORK

Panaji

The Goa Forward has filed an intervention petition in Bombay High Court supporting the disqualification petitions filed by Congress and MGP against their former MLAs.

The High Court has issued notices to all 12 MLAs on the intervention petition filed by Goa Forward.

The High Court has directed the MLAs to file reply by December 6 and has directed the Goa Forward to file their say on the MLAs’ reply by December 9.

The matter is posted for final disposal on December 10.

The petition filed by Congress party in High Court of Bombay challenging Goa assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar’s order dismissing the disqualification petition filed against 10 former MLAs, who defected to the BJP in 2019, was listed for hearing on Monday.

Congress counsel Abhijit Gosawi had mentioned the disqualification matter before the High Court requesting for listing.

The Speaker had dismissed the disqualification petitions filed against 12 MLAs – 10 formerly of the Congress and two formerly of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party – who defected to the BJP in 2019.

On April 20, 2021, the Speaker had dismissed the petition filed by Congress, which had sought disqualification of the 10 former Congress MLAs for defection and the alleged illegal merger of the splinter group into the BJP.

The Speaker’s decision had come a year and half after a preliminary hearing had been held in the petition filed in October 2019. Petitioner MGP had prayed that the judgement delivered by the Speaker dismissing disqualification plea against Deputy Chief Minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Ajgaonkar and PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar be quashed and set aside and to
disqualify the two members under Article 191 (2) read with para 2 (1) (a) the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India.