Panaji: Goa Governor Dr Mridula Sinha has disposed-off a disqualification petition filed against former Goa Vikas party (GVP) MLA Caetano Silva, who was accused of acquiring the Portuguese citizenship.
The petition was filed by Varca resident John Fernandes way back in November 2013. The petition was pending since then.
Fernandes in his complaint had said that being a Portuguese Citizen, Silva contested the Legislative Assembly in 2012 elections and had thus committed a fraud on the Constitution of India.
The disqualification was filed based on the order dated November 20, 2013 passed by the Ministry of Home Affairs declaring Silva a Portuguese National with effect from July 21, 2010.
Governor had sought opinion of the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the said petition.
“Accordingly, acting on the opinion tendered by the Election Commission of India, as required under Article 192(2), I hereby order that after the dissolution of the previous Goa Legislative Assembly in 2017 and after constitution of new House in Goa, the Reference has become infructuous as Caetano R. Silva is no more a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Goa. The petition is hereby disposed off accordingly,” Governor said in her order.
The fresh elections were held to the Legislative Assembly of Goa in February, 2017 and the previous Legislative Assembly, of which Caetano R. Silva was a member, was dissolved in March, 2017. Silva also lost the election.
Also in October 2016, High Court had set aside the Union Ministry’s order declaring Silva as Portuguese national.
