Following SC order, Manipur minister resigns from assembly

A division bench of the top court headed by Justice Rohinton Nariman had on March 18 restrained Shyamkumar from entering the assembly and had also stripped him from remaining a minister.

Updated on: Mar 27, 2020, 11:50:52 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Manipur minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar Singh resigned as a legislator on Thursday, eight days after the Supreme Court restrained him from entering the state assembly.

The order came after the assembly Speaker Singh failed to decide on the disqualification petition on grounds of defection pending against Shyamkumar within the four-week period stipulated by the Supreme Court. (HT file photo)

“I have the honour to say that I am willing to resign from the membership of 11 Manipur legislative assembly in respect of 7-Andro assembly constituency with immediate effect ie today the 26th of March, 2020,” Singh wrote in a letter to the assembly Speaker Y Khemchand Singh.

A division bench of the top court headed by Justice Rohinton Nariman had on March 18 restrained Shyamkumar from entering the assembly and had also stripped him from remaining a minister.

The order came after the assembly Speaker Singh failed to decide on the disqualification petition on grounds of defection pending against Shyamkumar within the four-week period stipulated by the Supreme Court.

Shyamkumar, who won as a Congress candidate from Andro in the 2017 assembly election, immediately switched sides to join Manipur’s first Bharatiya Janata Party-led government headed by N Biren Singh.

He was the minister for housing and urban development, town planning, forest and environment, horticulture and soil conservation.

Incidentally, Shyamkumar’s resignation came two days prior to the verdict on his disqualification case pending before the Manipur assembly Speaker’s tribunal.

“I submitted the resignation to the Speaker at 2:20pm on Thursday. I have not been intimated whether he has accepted the resignation. I have informed the chief minister about my decision and with his advice, I tendered the resignation,” Shyamkumar said while speaking over the phone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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