NEW DELHI: The high court on Friday asked the Delhi Assembly Speaker’s office to respond to MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar’s plea challenging his recent disqualification from the assembly. Justice Sanjeev Narula issued a notice to the office of Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, setting the next hearing for December 9.
Tanwar, who got elected from the Chhatarpur constituency under the AAP symbol in 2020, was disqualified by the Speaker on September 24 under the anti-defection law. The move came after Tanwar, along with fellow MLA Raaj Kumar Anand, left AAP and joined BJP in July.
Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing Tanwar, argued that the disqualification order was passed hastily and without giving the legislator an opportunity to present his case.
Mehta contended that the decision lacked clarity and rationale, referring to it as “cryptic” and “non-speaking.” The abrupt termination, according to Tanwar, has obstructed him from performing his official duties and hindered local development projects.
The petition filed by Tanwar called for the disqualification to be overturned, citing procedural lapses. Besides the Speaker, the HC has also sought a response from MLA Dilip Pandey, who had lodged the disqualification complaint in August.
Tanwar, in his plea, expressed his disillusionment with AAP, which he had joined as part of the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement, citing party’s involvement in multiple scandals.
Also in HC: Madhu Koda’s plea rejected
A plea by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda seeking a stay on his conviction in the high-profile coal scam case was dismissed by the high court on Friday. Koda had filed the plea in hopes of contesting the upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand, but the court’s decision now bars him from doing so.