Manipur Congress to move petitions against 7 defector MLAs to SC

Imphal: The Congress party in Manipur on Saturday announced that it will move the disqualification case against the seven party defector MLAs to the Supreme Court (SC) following Manipur Speaker Yumnam Khemchand failing to dispose of the case within the stipulated three months as directed by the apex court.

Speaking to media persons at a press conference in Imphal, Wangkem Congress MLA K Meghachandra, one of the petitioners, said that despite the landmark judgement given by the SC on January 21, the disqualification cases against the seven MLAs who had joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is still pending at the Speaker’s Tribunal.

Moreover, since the Speaker failed to dispose of the case against the seven MLAs within the three months as directed by the SC, the Manipur Congress has decided to move the petitions to the apex court, the legislator said.

“Time has come for Speaker to uphold the integrity to protect our Constitutional by honouring it’s 10th Schedule, both in spirit and action,” Manipur Congress spokesperson Ningombam Bupendra Meitei tweeted.

The Supreme Court under para 28 while dealing with issue of what is a reasonable period in which a Speaker is required to decide the disqualification petition has set a outer limit of three months from the date on which the petition is filed.

If the Speaker fails to decide within such period then in such case the SC has granted liberty to petitioners to directly approach the Supreme Court, reads the statement.

Earlier, the apex court on March 18 ordered dismissal of former minster Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh from ministerial berth and refrained him from entering the Legislative Assembly.

On March 28, the Speaker’s Tribunal disqualified Andro MLA who was elected to the state assembly on Congress ticket in 2017 elections but later shifted party allegiance to BJP.

Similarly, the seven MLAs were also elected from Congress tickets but joined the ruling BJP party without resigning from the former party violating the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

It may be mentioned that the disqualification cases against the former minister and seven MLAs filed by several Congress MLAs has been going on for the past three months.