Amid speculation over the possible date for cabinet expansion by Chief Minister Raghubar Das, a Public Interest litigation (PIl) was filed in the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday against the six Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) MlAs who recently joined the BJP after the elections. Petitioner Dewan Indraneel Sinha, in his PIl, has demanded to prevent the six MlAs from getting cabinet berth as well as any legal or constitutional post in the Government till the matter is disposed of by the Assembly Speaker.
The six MlAs — Navin Jaiswal (Hatia), Ganesh Gounjhu (Simaria), Amar Kumar Bouri (Chandankyari), Alok Kumar Chourasia (Daltonganj), Randhir Kumar Singh (Sarath) and Janki Prasad Yadav (Barkathha) — were inducted into the BJP at a low-key function on February 11 at Jharkhand Bhawan in Delhi in the presence of Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
“We have sought three remedies before the high court — first, the Speaker should dispose the case within a stipulated timeframe, secondly, any berth given to them should amount to horse trading as under the 10th Schedule of Constitution, a group has to be formed before defecting from any party for joining another one,” said petitioner’s advocate Rajiv Kumar.
The most important demand made in the petition is that until and unless the matter is disposed of by the Assembly Speaker under the provisions of 10the Schedule of Constitution, MlAs should neither be given a berth, nor they be given any other legal or constitutional post in the Government, added Kumar.
Kumar further added that the JVM chief Babulal has also been made a party in the PIl alleging that he left its MlAs to defect deliberately indirectly supporting the BJP to get six MlAs to join them. Marandi, on the other hand, has already written a letter to the Assembly Speaker on Sunday requesting to disqualify the six MlAs who have defected from the party.
Meanwhile, the six defecting MlAs met Assembly Speaker on Monday and were asked to reply to the show cause notices. They have been given a deadline of March 9 to explain their new allegiance by the Speaker. They will also have to explain why their Assembly memberships should not be cancelled under the anti-defection law.