E-Paper
SC asks Bengal Speaker to decide on Mukul Roy’s disqualification in 2 weeks
The Speaker represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted an affidavit indicating steps taken pursuant to the Court’s November 22 order where the Court took serious exception to the delay in deciding the petition against Roy.
The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly to decide on the disqualification petition against Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy in two weeks after the Speaker informed the top court that the petition filed by leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari was progressing steadily.
A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BV Nagarathna said, “We will give you (Speaker) two weeks. Ensure that it is completed by then.” The Court posted the matter for hearing in the second week of February.
The Speaker represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi submitted an affidavit indicating steps taken pursuant to the Court’s November 22 order where the Court took serious exception to the delay in deciding the petition against Roy. The petition against him was filed by Adhikari in June 2021 within days after Roy left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and returned to the Trinamool Congress, which he had left in 2017.
Singhvi was appearing in an appeal filed by the Speaker challenging an order of the Calcutta high court passed on September 28 asking him to produce the decision taken on Adhikari’s petition. The HC order came on a petition filed by another BJP MLA Ambika Roy who challenged Roy’s nomination as chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on July 9.
Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade appearing for Ambika Roy told the top court that three months as prescribed by a SC judgment in 2020 were over and no further time should be given. Singhvi had requested for an additional week’s time but was refused.
In November, the SC expressed dismay over the inordinate delay in disposing the disqualification petition as it asked the Speaker to quickly decide on the plea against Roy. Speaker Biman Banerjee informed the Court that pursuant to SC order, the hearing was preponed from December 21 to December 9, following which the matter was taken up on three subsequent dates.
“The petitioner is making all possible efforts to hear and decide the disqualification petition as expeditiously as possible despite the disruption caused by the prevailing third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the affidavit said, adding that Adhikari had concluded argument and now Roy’s arguments remained.
