SC tells West Bengal Assembly Speaker to decide on disqualification of turncoat BJP MLA Mukul Roy

The Supreme Court on Monday told the West Bengal Assembly Speaker to expeditiously decide on the petitions seeking disqualification of Mukul Roy after his defection from BJP to TMC.

The top court also expressed concern over the tendency of Speakers to delay taking decisions on disqualification of defecting legislators under the Anti-Defection Laws.

A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B V Nagarathna said, "We direct the Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly, to decide the petition filed under the Tenth Schedule for disqualification of Roy expeditiously."

The court put the matter for consideration on January 17.

Senior advocates A M Singhvi and Devadatt Kamat informed the court that the Speaker has fixed next hearing on the disqualification petition on December 21.

The court was hearing two pleas by Secretary and the Returning Officer and the Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly, against against thr Calcutta HC's judgment directing him to consider disqualification of BJP turncoat Roy as MLA.

Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade appeared for the complainant BJP leader.

The High Court had on September 28 asked the Speaker to decide on disqualification of Roy by October 7 or it would itself take a call on the matter.

The High Court's order had come a petition filed by BJP MLA Ambika Roy.

Ambika Roy challenged Mukul Roy’s appointment as assembly’s PAC (Public Accounts Committee) chairman, a post reserved for Opposition leader, on July 9. Mukul Roy joined the BJP in 2017 but returned to the TMC on June 11. He did not resign from the BJP.

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