SC refuses to entertain Congress' plea against non-disqualification of its 8 MLAs by speaker

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea challenging the decision of the Goa assembly speaker to reject the disqualification petition of the Congress against eight of its MLAs who defected to the ruling BJP.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Sanjay Kumar asked Congress leader Girish Chodankar, who filed the plea in the court, to move the Goa bench of the Bombay High Court to challenge the speaker’s decision.

On November 1, Goa assembly speaker Ramesh Tawadkar dismissed the disqualification petition filed by the Congress against eight of its MLAs who defected to BJP.

The disqualification petition was filed by former Goa Congress chief Chodankar against MLAs Digambar Kamat, Aleixo Sequeira, Sankalp Amonkar, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Rudolf Fernandes and Rajesh Faldesai.

Dismissing Chodankar’s petition, speaker Tawadkar had ruled that “upon the merger of the original political party of the elected member with another political party, the elected member will not face disqualification in either contingency i.e. whether he chooses to go with the merger or disagrees with the same”.

Disqualification on grounds of defection will not apply in case of merger, Tawadkar had ruled.