Assembly speaker to hear final arguments in MLAs case on June 5

Lucknow, June 1 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey today fixed June 5 for final hearing into the case pertaining to disqualification of five MLAs, who had rejoined the BSP leaving the Loktrantrik Bahujan Dal (LBD) on March 1 last.

The speaker, however, today rejected an application of the counsel of an MLA urging fixation of the case after June 15.

Mr Pandey said June 5 had been fixed to complete the arguments in the case even as the MLAs' counsel demanded they were yet to get relevant documents.

Counsel for MLA Ramkrishna, Raghevendra Pratap Singh said they had received only the party list dated April 4, 2006 whereas the Allahabad High Court directive on May 29 last had asked the speaker to give all 'relevant documents'.

The speaker said after the HC judgement of February 28, 2006, the party list was released on April 4.

Petitioner and state minister Yogesh Pratap Singh claimed the five MLAs were delebrately delaying the hearing by moving applications demanding more time and other documents.

The five MLAs were also demanding the current party position list in the assembly and party-wise electoral rolls used during the biennial Rajya Sabha polls on March 28.

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

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

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 (LBD) chief whip Yogesh Pratap Singh on their disqualification from the assembly for violating the whip.

In the preliminary 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 five, 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 HC 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 MB VS PA PC1655