Decide on Mukul Roy’s disqualification by October 7, Calcutta HC directs Bengal Assembly Speaker

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal Assembly Speaker to decide by October 7 on a petition seeking disqualification of Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy from the House, Live Law reported.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Rajarshi Bharadwaj was hearing a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ambika Roy challenging appointment of Mukul Roy as the chairman of the public accounts committee of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

In June, Mukul Roy had defected to the Trinamool Congress months after winning the Krishnanagar Uttar constituency in the West Bengal Assembly elections on a BJP ticket.

In July, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee had appointed Mukul Roy as chairman of the public accounts committee of the House.

Meanwhile, before his appointment to the post, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari had on June 17 sent a plea to the Assembly speaker, seeking disqualification of Mukul Roy as an MLA under the anti-defection law.

During Tuesday’s hearing on Ambika Roy’s plea, the High Court took note of the disqualification petition filed by Adhikari.

The court observed that in accordance with previous Supreme Court orders, a Speaker must decide on disqualification petitions within a period of three months from its date of filing, Live Law reported. The stipulated period…

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