SC asks Goa Speaker to pass order on pending disqualification petitions on April 20

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly to pass an order on April 20 on the plea filed by a Congress leader seeking disqualification of 10 MLAs, who had joined BJP in July 2019.

A three-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubraman was hearing the plea filed by Girish Chodankar.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on April 21 as it was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the Speaker has agreed to pass the order on the disqualification petitions on April 20.

The Solicitor General appearing for Goa Speaker has said that the Speaker has completed the proceedings and heard from all the parties and he had reserved the orders.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Congress leader Girish Chodankar, said that this is making a mockery of the whole procedure as the top court had on February 10, recorded a statement that the Speaker will dispose of the pleas by February 26 but till now the order has been reserved and no verdict has been pronounced.

The court was hearing a plea of Congress leader Girish Chodankar who has claimed that in July 2019 the 10 MLAs, claiming to constitute two-third of the Congress party in the Assembly, "decided to merge the said legislature party with the BJP" and communicated that to the Speaker.

( With inputs from ANI )