Newmai News Network
Imphal | February 4
The tribunal of Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly (MLA) on Tuesday reserved the ruling regarding applications seeking disqualification of Manipur Forest and Environment Minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh.
Tribunal of Speaker, Yumnam Khemchand conducted the final hearing of the disqualification petitions against the minister filed by Congress MLAs.
The Speaker reserved his ruling on the petitions without giving any specific date for pronouncing the judgment and directed both the petitioners and the respondent to submit additional arguments in any in written on or before February 12.
The hearing commenced from around 11 am and lasted for about 45 minutes. Counsels of both the petitioners and the respondent appeared in the tribunal.
During the hearing, the counsel of the respondent pleaded the Speaker by submitting a written petition to take up the case which has been pending after for a long time. However, the Speaker rejected the plea considering the upcoming budget session of the state Assembly due to commence from February 14.
Talking to reporters outside the State Assembly complex, Imphal after the hearing, the counsel of the petitioners, senior Supreme Court advocate SG Hasnain said that while reserving the judgement, the Speaker directed the petitioners and the respondent to file additional documents if they needed and written submission on or before February 12. “Thereafter, the judgement will be delivered,” he said.
Khemchand conducted the hearing in the backdrop of recent ruling of the Supreme Court asking the Speaker of the state Assembly to decide the disqualification petitions against the Forest minister within four weeks.
Shyamkumar who was elected on Congress ticket in the elections to the state Assembly held in 2017 switched side to BJP soon after the election results were declared and before taking oath as member of the state Assembly.
Shyamkumar’s defection to BJP was during the run up to the formation of a new government after the elections with no party secured simple majority to form the next government.
His coming to the BJP fold paved the way for formation of BJP-led coalition government in the state with N Biren Singh as chief minister.
The opposition Congress has been seeking disqualification of Shyamkumar who was inducted as cabinet minister with Forest and Environment portfolios among others.
Many Congress MLAs filed their petitions seeking disqualification of Shyamkumar to the tribunal of the Speaker under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution of India, popularly known as Anti-Defection Law.
When the Speaker allegedly failed to initiate any step to the petition, two Congress MLAs knocked at the door of the High Court of Manipur.
After a long hearing, the high court disposed off the petitions filed by two Congress MLAs by refusing to pass any order citing shortfalls of its jurisdiction under the Tenth Schedule. However, while giving an observation of the petition, the court lamented on the indecision on the part of the Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly to take a decision.
The Congress MLAs then knocked at the door of the Supreme Court seeking disqualification of the Forest and Environment minister. The Apex Court directed the Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly to decide within four weeks regarding the plea of Congress MLAs seeking disqualification of the Forest minister.
In the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s judgment, the Speaker of the state Assembly has also notified for conducting the final hearing of separate petitions seeking disqualification of seven other Congress MLAs who defected to BJP on February 11, 2020.
While issuing the notification, the secretary of the MLA informed all concerned parties to submit written statement/reply and additional documents, if any, on or before February 7 without fail.
