After SC directives, Speaker expedites hearing in disqualification case

Team Herald

PANJIM: Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar has fast-tracked hearings on disqualification petitions following recent Supreme Court directives.

The Speaker has now fixed October 3 and 4, as date for detailed final arguments in the disqualification case involving eight rebel Congress MLAs, who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in September 2022.

While hearing a disqualification petition filed by Dominic John Noronha, the Speaker on Friday directed that the arguments be concluded within the two days.

In the first week of September this year, the Supreme Court had directed Goa Assembly Speaker to fulfil his constitutional obligation, while deciding disqualification pleas against the eight MLAs before postponing the matter for further hearing in November.

On Friday, the Speaker read out the directives of the High Court of Bombay at Goa delivered in May 2023, asking him to decide disqualification petitions within a time-frame manner, and hinted at fast-tracking the three petitions filed before him. The other two petitions have been filed by Congress president Amit Patkar and former president Girish Chodankar.

After the hearing, Noronha said that the Speaker has fixed the matter for final arguments for two days next month, since replies were filed by seven respondents. One of the respondents Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira has sought time to file his reply on Monday, he said. The counsel for respondents were seeking for time for arguments but the Speaker requested them to complete it within two days on October 3 and 4.