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Mukul Roy is still in BJP, says Bengal speaker again on anti-defection complaint
West Bengal assembly speaker Biman Banerjee reiterated his February 11 conclusion on an anti-defection plea filed against Mukul Roy.
KOLKATA: Mukul Roy is still in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), West Bengal legislative assembly speaker Biman Banerjee ruled on Wednesday, reiterating his February 11 verdict that dismissed the petition seeking Roy’s disqualification as legislator under the anti-defection law.
The petition was filed by the leader of the opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, shortly after Roy was seen returning to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on June 11 last year in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
BJP legislator Ambika Roy filed another petition challenging Roy’s nomination as chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on July 9, two days before he returned to the TMC. Mukul Roy was subsequently declared the PAC chairman by the speaker.
Both matters were heard by the Calcutta high court and the Supreme Court.
On January 17, the Supreme Court asked Biman Banerjee to announce his decision on the disqualification petition in two weeks.
After Banerjee’s February 11 ruling, Adhikari moved the Supreme Court once again. The Supreme Court referred the matter to the Calcutta high court, which asked the speaker to review the BJP’s petition and announce his decision within a month.
“The courts heard the petitions filed by Suvendu Adhikari and Ambika Roy seeking disqualification of Mukul Roy as MLA and PAC chairman. The high court asked me to dispose the case preferably within one month. I heard both sides, went through all evidence and elaborately discussed the rulings that were cited,” the speaker said on Wednesday.
“The petitions focused mainly on electronic evidence, which I discussed elaborately in my judgment,” he added.
The speaker also read out the operative part of his ruling.
“I am clearly of the view that the petitioner has failed to prove the contents of the electronic evidence produced by him in support of his contention made out in the petition. As such, I have no other option but to uphold the same decision pronounced by me on February 11, 2022,” he said.
Asked whether he would send a copy of his ruling to the Calcutta high court, the speaker said it is for the petitioners to decide what to do with it.
“They may seek a copy of my ruling and move the high court if they feel like,” said Banerjee, refusing to discuss the matter any further.
“It is a matter of legal adjudication. I have announced my decision taking into consideration all the points raised before me and the direction of the honourable court,” Banerjee, who is also a lawyer, said.
When the ruling was passed, Adhikari was at the National Library in Kolkata, attending a meeting called BJP national president JP Nadda who was on a two-day tour of Bengal.
“I have heard about the ruling. This is not the end. Tomorrow I will move the court again,” Adhikari said.
TMC leaders did not comment on the second ruling.
