Principal Correspondent
Kohima, August 4
Even as the merger issue of three NCP legislators to BJP is still pending in the court of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Speaker Chotisuh Sazo, the Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court has reportedly dismissed their petition.
Official sources said consequent upon the show cause notice to the three legislators namely Dr TM Lotha, Imtilemba Sangtam and Mmhonlumo Kikon by the NLA Speaker, they reportedly filed a petition in the High Court seeking quashing of the Assembly Secretariat show cause notice.
Assembly sources disclosed that the High Court had dismissed the petition filed by the three MLAs on the ground that the case is pending with the Speaker. However, talking to this correspondent over phone this evening, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism and former NCP member Dr TM Lotha said, “Our case was admitted in the court and it was disposed off with the court asking the Speaker to act as per the Anti-Defection Law (10th Schedule of the Constitution)”.
He also said as the Speaker has fixed ‘personal hearing’, three of them would appear before him and justify the merger.
Reiterating that the three of them have fulfilled all the criteria of merger as per the 10th Schedule, Dr. Lotha said if the Speaker acts as per the rule, the merger should be accepted, but it solely depends on him if he wants to take decision beyond the Anti-Defection Law.
The Assembly Secretariat issued a press release on August 2 stating that Speaker Sazo had fixed the personal hearing on ‘claim of merger by the three NCP MLAs’ on August 6 at 11 am in the Conference Hall of Assembly Secretariat. They have been asked to either appear in person or through their counsel.
