Speaker to hear 5 MLAs disqualfication case

Lucknow, May 20: Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey today fixed May 29 as the next date of hearing into the case pertaining to disqualification of 5 MLAs, who had rejoined the BSP leaving the Loktrantrik Bahujan Dal(LBD) on March 1 last.

The speaker, however, today rejected the demand of the five MLAs to provide them the current party position list in the assembly and the party-wise electoral rolls used during the bi-ennial Rajya Sabha polls held on March 28.

Mr Pandey said under the 10 th schedule related to disqualification there is no need for such lists.

Earlier the counsels of the 5 MLAs had demanded the list claiming that it would decide whether the MLAs had left the party or not.

Meanwhile, the speaker also gave last chance to the MLAs to submit their final objections on the petition by May 25. He said that the next hearing in the case would be held on May 29.

All the five MLAs -- Jaiveer Singh, Surendra Vikram Singh, Ramji Shukla, Ram Krishna and Dharampur -- had already submitted their preliminary objections on the petition of disqualification filed by Loktrantrik Bahujan Dal (LBD) chief whip Yogesh Pratap Singh on their disqualification from the assembly for violating the whip.

In the preleminary objections, the MLAs claimed there was no existance of LBD. They have also demanded party list during the RS polls and documents relating to the existance of the LBD and its chief whip.

Earlier on May 5, the Supreme court had turned down the plea of the MLAs to prevent the speaker from hearing their case.

The 5 MLAs had rejoined the BSP on March 1 after the Allahabad High Court by its majority judgement had quashed the split and merger of the 40 member LBD in September 2003.

These 40 MLAs leaving BSP had formed the LBD and later joined the ruling Samajwadi Party.

UNI