The Speaker’s Tribunal of the Manipur Legislative Assembly has resumed hearings on the disqualification cases involving five JD(U) MLAs who recently defected to the BJP. The legislators in question are Kh. Joykisan Singh, Ngursanglur Sanate, Md. Achab Uddin, Thangjam Arunkumar, and L.M. Khaute.
The petitions, filed by petitioner Hareshwar Goshwami and led by Counsel Ningombam Bupenda Meitei, seek to expedite the proceedings following a Supreme Court directive mandating resolution within three months of filing. Emphasizing the importance of a timely verdict, Bhupendra Meitei also requested daily hearings to ensure swift proceedings. Additionally, he petitioned to amend the filing date to 2022, asserting that the original filings were made two years earlier than noted.
In related disqualification cases (No. 6 and 7) concerning MLAs M. Dorendro Singh and M. Surjit Singh, Advocate Ajoy Pebam represented the petitioners. Senior Advocate L. Anand Singh, with junior associates from Senior Advocate R.S. Reisang’s team, appeared for the respondents. The respondents’ counsel requested a three-to-four-week period to prepare their responses, while the petitioners pushed for an expedited timeline.
The Speaker’s Tribunal ultimately granted the respondents a three-week timeframe to respond, with the next hearing date set accordingly.