The Hindu : Front Page : Goa Speaker refuses to accept court notice

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Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007
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Goa Speaker refuses to accept court notice

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: Goa Speaker Pratap Singh Rane, has refused to accept the Supreme Court notice on the petitions challenging his interim order that restrained two MLAs of the Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party from voting in the floor test on July 30.

In a brief affidavit, Mr. Rane said: “Out of deference to this court’s order on August 6, but without accepting service [of the notice] of the same or without accepting the jurisdiction of this court to determine matters arising within the House, I would only like to state that the allegations made in the petitions that the impugned order was actuated by bias or that I had passed the order mala fide as alleged is specifically denied. It is also denied that the order is perverse, mala fide, unreasonable or capricious. I reserve the right to file a detailed affidavit if so desired at a later date.”

Senior counsel Fali Nariman told a Bench, comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran, on Monday that Mr. Rane would hear the disqualification petitions against MLAs Pandurang Dhavalikar and Sudin Dhavalikar on August 16 and that the matter could be heard thereafter.

In his counter, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said that initially the MLAs gave a letter supporting his Government. However, their MLAs’ withdrawal of support was their own decision as there was no reversal of the MGP’s decision to support the Congress Government.

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