<p>The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 16) issued notice to the Goa Assembly Speaker on a plea by state Congress president Girish Chodankar for a direction to him decide upon the disqualification of 10 party MLAs who joined the BJP. </p>.<p>These legislators had defected to BJP in July 2019 and the plea for disqualification against them was pending since August 2019. </p>.<p>A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna sought a response from the Speaker on a writ petition filed by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioner, sought an early date of hearing in the matter.</p>.<p>The petitioner has relied upon the SC's recent ruling, in a separate case, that had held the Speaker should decide such disqualification plea within a maximum period of three months.</p>.<p>On Tuesday, the court issued an early notice, seeking a reply from Speaker Rajesh Patnekar within a period of three weeks.</p>.<p>Out of 15 Congress MLA, ten have formed a separate group and merged it with BJP, taking the tally of the ruling party in 40-member Assembly to 27. Some of the defectors were rewarded with a ministerial berth in the Pramod Sawant-led government.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 16) issued notice to the Goa Assembly Speaker on a plea by state Congress president Girish Chodankar for a direction to him decide upon the disqualification of 10 party MLAs who joined the BJP. </p>.<p>These legislators had defected to BJP in July 2019 and the plea for disqualification against them was pending since August 2019. </p>.<p>A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna sought a response from the Speaker on a writ petition filed by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee chief. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioner, sought an early date of hearing in the matter.</p>.<p>The petitioner has relied upon the SC's recent ruling, in a separate case, that had held the Speaker should decide such disqualification plea within a maximum period of three months.</p>.<p>On Tuesday, the court issued an early notice, seeking a reply from Speaker Rajesh Patnekar within a period of three weeks.</p>.<p>Out of 15 Congress MLA, ten have formed a separate group and merged it with BJP, taking the tally of the ruling party in 40-member Assembly to 27. Some of the defectors were rewarded with a ministerial berth in the Pramod Sawant-led government.</p>
