Speaker postpones hearing on MGP brothers to Aug 20

Panaji, Aug 16 (UNI) Goa Legislative Assembly speaker Pratapsingh Rane today postponed hearing of the disqualification petitions against Davlikar brothers of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party till Monday.

The hearing was deferred as the two legislators insisted on video-recording of the proceedings with the Speaker, who had to examine whether it was allowed under the law or not.

Agnelo Fernandes(Congress) filed the disqualification petitions against Ramakrishna Davlikar and his brother Pandurang Davlikar under the tenth schedule.

The two MGP members,who supported the Congress-led coalition government headed by Digambar Kamat,suddenly announced their support to the Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA) since July 26 reducing the government to a minority.

The speaker, later, got the MGP office records verified on the strength of the disqualification petition and proceeded with the hearing, though the party leadership maintained that it supported the move of the legislators.

The two legislators had even approached in the Supreme Court against the controversial decison of the speaker restraining them from voting in the House on July 30 in the ''vote of confidence'' sought by Chief Minister, enabling the government to survive the trial of strength.

The next hearing of the case in the Apex Court is scheduled for tomorrow.

UNI