Panaji: Former GPCC President Girish Chodankar on Thursday petitioned Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar urging him to expedite the disqualification petition filed by him against eight of his former party MLAs.
Chodankar had filed disqualification petition on November 11, 2022 against all the eight Goa MLAs who had shifted over to the BJP.
The petition was filed before Speaker of Legislative Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar, who had commented that he would begin hearing in it, within a fortnight.
On Thursday, Chodankar filed another petition before the Speaker pointing out that since the filing of the Petition the Petitioner/Applicant has not received any intimation/communication regarding the further course of action in the matter and/or date of hearing in the matter.
“The Applicant states that since the filing of the captioned petition, there has been no meaningful progress in the matter and the adjudication in the matter is being unreasonably delayed,” Chodankar said.
The former Goa Congress chief said that the Respondents who have incurred disqualification under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution are getting undue and undeserving advantage of continuing as the member of the Legislative Assembly on account of delay which is being caused in disposal of the captioned petition.
Chodankar has pointed out a Supreme Court verdict in which the Apex Court has mentioned that the period of three months is the outer limit within which disqualification Petition filed before the Speaker must be decided.
He has said that the delay in disposal of disqualification petition virtually amounts to defeating the very purpose and objectives of anti-defection law as contained in Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
“The delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings is against the very object of Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India. It is submitted that justice delayed is justice denied and in present case the delay caused in delivery of justice is giving undue and undeserving benefit to the respondents to illegal continue as member of the Legislative Assembly,” he said.
Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly Ramesh Tawadkar was not available for his comments.
