By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that the Governor of Manipur will soon take a decision on the opinion given by the Election Commission regarding the disqualification of 12 BJP MLAs of the state Assembly over an office of profit issue.
Mehta gave the assurance to a bench of Justices LN Rao, BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna while hearing a petition filed by DD Thaisii, a Congress MLA from Manipur, who has sought disqualification of the 12 MLAs on the ground that they were holding the posts of parliamentary secretaries, which amounts to offices of profit.
During a brief hearing on Thursday, Justice Rao told the Solicitor General to use his good offices so that the matter is taken care of.
“In January, an opinion was given by the Election Commission. According to Article 192 (of Constitution), the Governor has to go with the decisions. In 11 months nothing has happened. We don’t want to pass an order but please your good offices so that opinion is given so that they can be challenged,” Justice Rao told the Solicitor General.
“I assure we will do something and no direction will be required to be passed,” Mehta said in his reply.Earlier this week, the bench had observed that the Governor of Manipur cannot delay taking a decision on the opinion given by the Election Commission regarding this matter.
