The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear Congress leader Girish Chodankar’s plea challenging the merger of eight Congress MLAs with the BJP in Goa, questioning the High Court’s approval of the Speaker’s dismissal of disqualification proceedings.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear on Tuesday a special leave petition (SLP) filed by Congress leader Girish Chodankar, contesting the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court’s ruling that upheld the Speaker’s decision to dismiss his request for the disqualification of eight Congress MLAs who defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2022.
Chodankar initially approached the Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly to seek the disqualification of these eight legislators, known as the G8 MLAs, under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) of the Constitution.
However, the Speaker rejected his petition, asserting that the merger of the MLAs with the BJP was legitimate.
Following this, Chodankar appealed to the High Court, which confirmed the Speaker’s ruling, leading him to escalate the issue to the Supreme Court. His petition contends that the Speaker’s order is legally flawed and undermines the constitutional mandate against political defection.
This case is gathering significant attention in Goa’s political circles, as its resolution could have far-reaching implications for party defections and legislative stability in the state.
Chodankar now seeks review of this decision in the apex court, arguing that the Speaker and High Court rulings undermine anti-defection protections and threaten legislative stability in Goa.