West Bengal Vidhan Sabha Speaker Biman Banerjee on Friday deferred the hearing in the case of defection of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy to April 28.
Roy, a former BJP national vice-president who joined the TMC after the 2021 assembly elections, was elected MLA from the Krishnanagar (North) constituency.
The Speaker had chosen him as head of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) despite the defection.
Thereafter, opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari had appealed to the speaker to cancel Roy’s assembly membership and PAC chairmanship.
Adhikari is likely to be present in the on April 28 hearing before the speaker, its is learnt. But Banerjee quashed the appeal and Mukul continued as the PAC chairman.
Then Suvendu moved the Calcutta High Court that dismissed the speaker’s order asking him to reconsider the
decision.
During Friday’s hearing, both Roy and Adhikari were not present even as their lawyers placed arguments before the speaker.
On Friday, citing the suspension order, Adhikari asked for route to enter the assembly as speaker stopped him from entering the Leader of Opposition’s chamber and inner lobby of the assembly. During the last session, five BJP MLAs, including Adhikari, were suspended from the assembly for a year for allegedly creating pandemonium during the budget session.
The Speaker said he can be present in his (speaker’s) room for hearing without entering those places.
BJP sources said Adhikari is likely to be present in the next hearing and his lawyer may submit the documents and clippings to prove that Roy officially joined the TMC.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to entertain a plea filed by Adhikari against an order of the Speaker dismissing his petition seeking Roy’s disqualification as an MLA.
A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai asked Adhikari to move the Calcutta High Court against the Speaker’s decision.
“This writ petition is filed under Article 32, challenging speaker decision dismissing Mukul Roy’s appeal against disqualification as MLA. After hearing the counsel, we are considered of the view that the petitioner can approach High Court assailing the Speaker order,” the bench said.
The apex court also took note of the submission that Roy’s term as the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman is only for one year and asked the High Court to decide the matter within a
month.