Imphal, Feb 4: The Manipur Speaker’s Tribunal on Tuesday said it would hear on February 7 the anti-defection case of five JD (U) MLAs who had joined the BJP shortly after winning the state assembly elections in 2022, according to a lawyer involved in the matter.
A petition seeking disqualification of the five from the assembly was filed by Manipur Congress vice-president Hareshwar Goswami.
Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh heard the matter during the day and decided that it would be heard again on Friday, according to Goswami’s counsel N Bhupendra Meitei.
The JD(U) had won six of the 38 constituencies it had contested in the assembly elections held in March 2022. The JD(U) MLAs who joined the BJP are Kh Joykishan, N Sanate, Md Achab Uddin, L M Khaute and Thangjam Arunkumar.
“Only Kh Joykishan has filed a counter affidavit while others have not done it. The Speaker decided that the next hearing would be taken up on February 7. The Speaker is taking it very expeditiously,” Meitei said.
The Congress in Manipur last month also filed disqualification petitions against four National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs for extending support to the BJP-led government, despite the party officially severing ties with the ruling front two months ago.
Meitei added that during the hearing on Monday, I mentioned the disqualification case filed against four NPP MLAs.
“The decision will be taken only by the Speaker after the case is taken up formally,” he said.
