KOLKATA: The hearing into Mukul Roy's disqualification as an MLA will begin again in West Bengal assembly, Speaker Biman Banerjee, who had earlier dismissed a petition on it, said on Monday. Assembly sources said the hearing in the case is likely to begin this Friday. "The honourable court has sent a reminder. I will look into it legally. I will call both parties and hold a hearing," Banerjee told reporters here.
Calcutta High Court had last week set aside the speaker's order dismissing a petition by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari seeking disqualification of TMC lawmaker Mukul Roy as a member of the House on the ground of defection and restored the matter for fresh consideration.
Roy, a former BJP national vice-president, had defected to the ruling TMC from BJP in June 2021 after winning the assembly poll in West Bengal on a BJP ticket. In February this year, Banerjee had dismissed Adhikari's petition of June 17, 2021 seeking Roy's disqualification as an MLA under the anti-defection law for switching sides after the election.
BJP MLA Ambika Roy had moved the HC in July last year challenging Roy's election as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and prayed for the nomination of an opposition member to the post as per tradition.