Arunachal Speaker seeks review of SC verdict on Speaker's power

New Delhi, July 20: Arunachal Pradesh assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking review of its verdict that it is "constitutionally impermissible" for the Speaker to decide on the plea for disqualification of lawmakers under the anti-defection law when a motion of no-confidence is pending against him.

Telling the bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Rohinton Nariman that the plea seeking recall of this part of the Constitution bench judgement was moved on Wednesday, senior counsel Kapil Sibal told the court that it would amount to putting political process over the constitutional power of the Speaker under the Tenth Schedule, or Anti-Defection Law.

Addressing the court, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the court that the position enunciated by the Constitution bench amounted to permitting a "constitutional sin (of defection) and a constitutional sinner (defector) to take advantage of his own wrong (if violating the Tenth Schedule providing for provision to deal with defections)".

The bench was told this in the course of the hearing of a plea by the disqualified members of the Uttarakhand assembly seeking direction that they may be allowed to participate in the assembly session starting from Thursday.

IANS