NPF welcomes SC ruling on Anti-Defection Law

DIMAPUR, JANUARY 26 (MExN): The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling on Anti-Defection Law and for directing Parliament to rethink over the power of the Speaker in deciding petitions seeking disqualification of lawmakers who also belong to a political party.


A press release from the NPF press bureau urged Parliament to do away with “quasi-judicial authority” of a Speaker in matters of disqualification petitions since the Speaker also belongs to a particular political party and can be swayed away by political interests. 


It cited the disqualification petition against 7 NPF MLAs which is still laying in NLA Speaker’s court for the past 10 months. This case, it asserted, “warrants early disposal as per the directive of the SC in the Manipur case.”


The NPF further pointed out that in the recent case of Manipur congress MLAs disqualification case, the 3 judge bench of the apex court directed the speaker to dispose off the case within 4 weeks failing of which petitioner can approach the HC. 


The NPF urged Parliament to consider amending the Constitution to substitute ‘Speakers’ of the LS and Assemblies which is under Tenth Schedule with a ‘Permanent Tribunal’ which could be headed by a retired SC judge or a retired Chief Justice of a HC or some independent mechanism.