Hearing on disqualification petition against SP MLAs on Aug 15

Lucknow, Aug 10 : Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey today fixed August 11 next for final hearing of the disqualification petition against five Samajwadi Party MLAs, who had voted in favour of the BSP candidates in the recent Rajya Sabha bienial elections in the state. The matter was deferred till tomorrow as the hearing could not take place today owing to speaker's pre-occupation, Vidhan Sabha Principal Secretary A N Mittal said here. The Speaker also withdrew permission granted to the authorised agent of one of the respondent MLAs Kalayan Singh Dohare to plead on his behalf. In his order Pandey took strong exception to what he termed "contemptuous remarks" against the office of the Speaker and "undignified behaviour" of the agent S N Tripathi. Since Dohare was represented by two other lawyers also, there was no need for a non-lawyer' (Tripathi) to appear in the matter on his behalf, the speaker said. Earlier, the MLAs had filed preliminary objections on the petition moved by the SP state General Secretary and PWD Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav. The cousnel for the MLAs had submitted that the petition was not maintainable and liable to be dismissed. Five SP MLAs Kalyan Singh Dohare, Omvati, Kamalesh Pathak, Sunder Lal and Ratan Lal Ahirwar had voted for BSP candidates in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha bienial polls in the state. Later the SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav moved a petition before the Speaker seeking disqualification of the five MLAs under the anti-defection act.