A disqualified MLA of Assam today filed a petition in the Gauhati High Court challenging Legislative Assembly Speaker Pranab Kumar Gogoi’s decision to expel him as a member of the House for joining another party.
Justice Hrishikesh Roy, after hearing the petition, issued notice to the respondents and fixed the next day of hearing for the case on February eight, 2016.
Pradan Baruah challenged the decision of the Speaker on the ground that once a member is expelled from the party it loses the right to invoke the provisions of anti-defectionlaw against the expelled member.
The Speaker had yesterday disqualified nine rebelCongress MLAs, including Baruah, from the membership of the House with immediate effect for joining oppositionBJP after being elected from another party.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee had already expelled these MLAs from the primary memberships in November this year.
Congress chief whip Nilamani Sen Deka had filed a complaint with the Speaker on December one for disqualification of the members.
( Source – PTI )
