Once again, Speaker Dinesh Oraon’s court was forced to postpone hearing in the JVM MlAs’ defection case when Minister Randhir Singh and MlA Jankti Prasad Yadav, scheduled for cross examination, skipped the proceeding on Tuesday. While the Minister citing Cabinet meeting petitioned for his inability to attend, the MlA had to attend a marriage function in Patna.
The attitude nevertheless irked the Speaker who also objected to the further plan presented by the lawyers of Randhir Singh when he fixed June 29 as next date of hearing. “He got annoyed when the Minister’s lawyer said he is to go on an official tour starting from June 25 to July 7. It was clear from their attitude that the respondents want to duck as much hearings as possible. After all, it is the Minister and his Department officials who prepare the tour plan and he is deliberately doing this at the time of hearing,” said JVM lawyer RN Sahay.
The Speaker in his comment said that the Minister should appear on the next date if his official tour discontinues while expressing his anguish over dillydallying of the MlAs in question. “Earlier as well, Tourism Minister Amar Kumar Bauri on two occasions and other MlAs have skipped the hearing on various grounds. If this continues in this fashion I would request the Speaker to close the cross examination and pronounce the much delayed judgment,” added Sahay. MlA Janki Prasad Yadav in his petition informed the court that he had to attend marriage function of his niece in Patna.