While it is alleged that the Assembly Speaker Pradip Kumar Amat is buying time to take a decision on the fate of the four NCP MlAs who joined BJD last year, the Odisha High Court on Monday asked the Speaker to file his counter-affidavit within seven days in response to a contempt petition filed against him by the NCP State president Utkal Keshari Parida.
A Division Bench of Justices Indrajit Mahanti and BN Mohapatra after taking up the contempt petition against the Speaker earlier this month had asked the Government counsel to get instructions from the Speaker on the issue.
However on Monday, senior advocate Pitambar Acharya appearing on behalf of the Speaker sought some more time from the court to reply to the contempt petition. Allowing the prayer of the Speaker, the HC gave only seven days to the latter to file his counters and posted the matter to be taken up on April 22.
Parida in March this year had filed the petition alleging that the Speaker was “deliberately” and “willfully” disobeying the orders passed by the High Court and the Supreme Court.
While the High Court on September 23, 2012 had asked the Speaker to dispose of the application of Parida within eight weeks, the Supreme Court too had asked the Speaker to dispose of the case by January 7, 2013. But the Speaker has not taken steps to implement the orders of both the courts, the petition has alleged.
Parida has sought disqualification of all four NCP MlAs, who voluntarily gave up their memberships from the party and joined the ruling BJD in June last.