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Journalism of Courage
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought responses from Delhi Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and AAP MLA Dilip Kumar Pandey to former MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar’s petition challenging his disqualification from the Assembly.
Tanwar contested the 2020 Delhi elections on an AAP ticket from the Chhatarpur constituency and won. He switched to the BJP in July this year, following which he was disqualified from the Assembly on September 24 under the anti-defection law.
AAP MLA Pandey on August 7 had filed a petition seeking the disqualification of Tanwar on the grounds of defection.
Goel had then issued a notice to Tanwar, directing him to submit his comments on the disqualification petition before 5 pm on August 19.
Tanwar, however, submitted his reply on September 3, denying all the allegations. He was then directed to appear for a personal hearing on September 20 at the Speaker’s office. On the day, Tanwar sought an adjournment on the ground that he was hospitalised and suffering from low blood pressure.
Tanwar has submitted to the court that his request was not considered and he was directed to appear on September 24. The Speaker, thereafter, disqualified Tanwar from the Assembly in his absence.
Tanwar has submitted that the disqualification order was passed “in haste” and that he was not afforded an opportunity of a hearing. He has sought that the disqualification order be quashed.
Tanwar, in his petition, has submitted, “…it was apparent that the intention of the Hon’ble Speaker was to terminate the membership of the Petitioner (Tanwar) by one way or the other from the Legislative Assembly before the session starts and deprive him from exposing the current political dispensation in the open House. The Petitioner has publicly gone on record to expose the AAP leaders and their involvement in corruption and the apprehension of such exposure led to the Respondent No.1 (Speaker Goel) disqualifying the Petitioner with hastiness.”
The court is due to take up the matter next for consideration on December 9.
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