IMPHAL, Oct 31: The final hearing of the disqualification case of five MLAs of the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), who had joined the Congress party, has begun from today at the Speaker`™s tribunal court of the Manipur Legislative Assembly.
Today`™s hearing commenced from 10.10 am wherein final statement of the petitioner Adim Panmei, was recorded by the tribunal. However, the final statement of the respondent MLAs, will be recorded on November 7.
The respondents MLAs are Sagolband MLA, RK Imo Singh; Wangjing Tentha MLA, Paonam Brojen; Kangpokpi MLA Nemcha Kipgen; Tamenglong MLA Janghemlung Panmei, and Keirao MLA, Karam Thamarjit.
The petition was filed in the Speaker`™s tribunal court seeking disqualification of the five MLAs under the Tenth Schedule of Indian Constitution in the year 2014. The five MLAs had contested from their respective constituencies with MSCP`™s tickets and elected to the 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly but later joined the Congress.
In a similar case, the Speaker`™s tribunal had recently disqualified three MLAs of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) however in case of Wangoi MLA the disqualification was revoked following the direction of the High Court of Manipur.
Consequently, for the remaining two constituencies Thangmeiband and Thongju a bye election had been scheduled by the authority concerned on November 21.