By PTI
RANCHI: Jharkhand Assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto on Thursday deferred the hearing of a case on disqualification of three Congress legislators, who were stuck in Kolkata because of their bail conditions, under the anti-defection law until September 5.
The Congress had sent a letter to the Speaker, seeking disqualification of Irfan Ansari, Naman Bixal Kongari and Rajesh Kachhap as MLAs who were arrested in West Bengal on July 30 with nearly Rs 49 lakh of unaccounted cash.
They were currently out on bail.
The Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, has claimed that the BJP was trying to topple the Hemant Soren government by offering Rs 10 crore each and ministerial berth to the MLAs.
The Speaker had sought a reply from the three MLAs by September 1 when proceedings on the matter are held.
In an email to the Speaker, the three pleaded that they do not have access to laptops or smartphones to join the proceedings in virtual mode as they were stuck in Kolkata due to their bail conditions.
They requested for deferment of the proceedings till their interim bail condition to stay in Kolkata at least till November 10 is vacated.
Granting interim bail to them on August 17 for three months, the Calcutta High Court directed the legislators to stay within the municipal limits of Kolkata during the period.
The interim bail will continue till November 17 and the matter will appear before the high court again on November 10.
As soon as the proceedings began at the Speaker’s tribunal on Thursday, Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam’s counsel Ujjawal Anand said that as per a Supreme Court order, such hearings should be completed within three months.
Anand accused the three of resorting to delaying tactics claiming that it is difficult to believe that they cannot afford a smartphone to join the proceedings online.
The three MLAs were arrested after their vehicle was intercepted on National Highway 16 at Panchla in West Bengal’s Howrah district on July 30 and nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash was found in the car.
They claimed that the money was meant for buying sarees for an Adivasi festival in Jharkhand.
The investigation into the case was later handed over to the state CID by West Bengal’s police authorities.
The Jharkhand Speaker had on Tuesday completed the hearing in another case pertaining to anti-defection charges against BJP legislator and former chief minister Babulal Marandi and reserved the judgement.
RANCHI: Jharkhand Assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto on Thursday deferred the hearing of a case on disqualification of three Congress legislators, who were stuck in Kolkata because of their bail conditions, under the anti-defection law until September 5.
The Congress had sent a letter to the Speaker, seeking disqualification of Irfan Ansari, Naman Bixal Kongari and Rajesh Kachhap as MLAs who were arrested in West Bengal on July 30 with nearly Rs 49 lakh of unaccounted cash.
They were currently out on bail.
The Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, has claimed that the BJP was trying to topple the Hemant Soren government by offering Rs 10 crore each and ministerial berth to the MLAs.
The Speaker had sought a reply from the three MLAs by September 1 when proceedings on the matter are held.
In an email to the Speaker, the three pleaded that they do not have access to laptops or smartphones to join the proceedings in virtual mode as they were stuck in Kolkata due to their bail conditions.
They requested for deferment of the proceedings till their interim bail condition to stay in Kolkata at least till November 10 is vacated.
Granting interim bail to them on August 17 for three months, the Calcutta High Court directed the legislators to stay within the municipal limits of Kolkata during the period.
The interim bail will continue till November 17 and the matter will appear before the high court again on November 10.
As soon as the proceedings began at the Speaker’s tribunal on Thursday, Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam’s counsel Ujjawal Anand said that as per a Supreme Court order, such hearings should be completed within three months.
Anand accused the three of resorting to delaying tactics claiming that it is difficult to believe that they cannot afford a smartphone to join the proceedings online.
The three MLAs were arrested after their vehicle was intercepted on National Highway 16 at Panchla in West Bengal’s Howrah district on July 30 and nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash was found in the car.
They claimed that the money was meant for buying sarees for an Adivasi festival in Jharkhand.
The investigation into the case was later handed over to the state CID by West Bengal’s police authorities.
The Jharkhand Speaker had on Tuesday completed the hearing in another case pertaining to anti-defection charges against BJP legislator and former chief minister Babulal Marandi and reserved the judgement.
