Speaker hears anti-defection cases against Babulal Marandi

IT WAS THE FIRST HEARING IN CONNECTION TO VIOLATION OF 10TH SCHEDULE OF THE CONSTITUTION BY THE BJP LEADER

RANCHI: The Jharkhand Speaker’s court assembled on Monday to hear the anti-defection cases lodged against Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Dhanwar legislator Babulal Marandi.

It was the first hearing regarding violation of 10th schedule of the Constitution , said Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato after the hearing.

He said that he listened to the lawyers appointed by plaintiffs Pradeep Kumar Yadav, Bandhu Tirkey, Bhushan Tirkey and Dipika Pandey Singh (lawmakers), while former CPI(ML) Liberation MLA Raj Kumar Yadav pleaded his case.

Yadav said the merger of JVM-P with the BJP was done without the consent of Yadav and Tirkey. He mentioned that Marandi, Yadav and Tirkey had contested the 2019 Assembly polls on JVM-P ticket and later Marandi merged his party with the BJP, while the two others fell apart.

This was done in violation of 10th schedule, that calls for consent of two third majority, Yadav said, and appealed the Speaker to take action against the BJP leader under the anti-defection law.

The lawyers of the lawmakers, while persuading the cases, too pointed out that the merger did not conform with constitutional provisions and pleaded for initiating action against Marandi.

Appearing for Marandi, his lawyer RN Sahay said the merger of JVM-P with the BJP was valid and got the seal of the Election Commission as well during the Rajya Sabha polls. He also mentioned that five separate cases have been lodged in the Speaker’s court in this connection, requesting him to hear the cases together.

Tirkey and Yadav’s lawyer Sumit Garodia too pleaded for bunching the cases.

He also underlined that the JVM-P had witnessed a split before Marandi merged his party with the BJP, while his clients joined the Congress.

Talking to media persons, the Speaker said the cases were lodged separately and notices were served accordingly. He said he would consider the plea of collective hearing of the cases.

Mahato said the next hearing would take place against the petitions filed by BJP legislators Samri Lal and Biranchi Narayan in favour of Marandi. He, however, did not fix the date of hearing. It would be scheduled soon after, he said.