Speaker Ramesh Kumar calls for reframing anti-defection law as he hears disqualification pleas
Bengaluru, Mar 25: Asserting there was ambiguity in the 10th schedule of the Constitution, referred to as the Anti-Defection Act, Karnataka assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar Monday emphasised upon its reframing, as he heard Congress' plea for disqualifying its four rebel MLAs.
"My whole effort is to make the lawmakers realise the ambiguity in the 10th schedule, imperfectness in the 10th schedule, infirmity in the 10th Schedule, absolute need for reframing the 10th schedule," Kumar said.
The speaker was hearing a petition filed by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress, seeking Chincholi MLA Dr Umesh Jadhav's disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.
Jadhav is among the four Congress MLAs, including Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak constituency),Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani) and B Nagendra (Ballari rural),whose disqualification Congress has sought for their anti-party activities, skipping the assembly session and legislature party meetings, violating whips.
Jadhav quit Congress and joined BJP recently to contest from Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat against Congress heavyweight Mallikarjun Kharge.
Hearing Jadhav's case in an open hall, Ramesh Kumar invited voters from Chincholi to give their viewpoints on initiating the anti-defection law that can bar Jadhav from contesting election for six years.
Addressing Kumar, a voter sought to know what was the voters' fault that compelled Jadhav to ditch them.
She even compared Jadhav's shifting loyalty with a husband who quits his first wife to marry again.
"How will he compensate for the damage to those who voted for you with a belief that he will take care of our constituency? We as voters want to know why he (Jadhav) is leaving us, why is he ditching us.
Let him explain whether he has a problem with the voters," she asked.
Moved by her speech, Kumar underlined the need to reframe the tenth schedule of the Constitution, saying it did not address her point of view.
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TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee moves Calcutta HC over transfer of IAS, IPS officers by Election Commission
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Kolkata (PTI): TMC MP and senior lawyer Kalyan Banerjee on Friday moved the Calcutta High Court questioning the Election Commission's transfer order of several IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal soon after the announcement of assembly polls in the state.
The petitioner named Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar a party respondent in the matter.
Mentioning the matter before a division bench presided by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul, the lawyer prayed for an early hearing of the petition.
The petition, which questions the transfers without consulting the state government before the EC took the decisions, is likely to be heard early next week, a lawyer connected with the matter said.
A large number of senior IAS and IPS officers, including the state's chief secretary, home secretary and director general of police (DGP) were replaced by the Election Commission within hours of announcement of the assembly elections in West Bengal on March 15.
The elections to the 294-member West Bengal assembly will be held in two phases - on April 23 and 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
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