Dhavalikar had last week filed the rejoinder urging the Speaker to restrain them from voting as MLAs during the upcoming monsoon session slated to begin on July 15PANAJI: Deputy Chief Minister Manohar (Babu) Ajgaonkar and PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar got a week-long breather on Monday with Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Rajesh Patnekar acceding to their plea for time to file their reply to a rejoinder seeking an order of restraint against them in their disqualification petition moved by MGP MLA Sudin Dhavalikar.
Dhavalikar had last week filed the rejoinder urging the Speaker to restrain them from voting as MLAs during the upcoming monsoon session slated to begin on July 15.
Patnekar who spoke to journalists at the Assembly complex said he had given Ajgaonkar and Pauskar a week's time to reply to Dhavalikar's rejoinder petition seeking that they be not allowed to vote during the session as the petition is pending against them.
Dhavalikar had originally filed the disqualification petition against Ajgaonkar and Pauskar in the first week of May when Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo was officiating as the Speaker. Lobo had a week earlier on March 27 had given an endorsement of sorts to the post midnight coup in which the Ajgaonkar-Pauskar duo had 'merged' the MGP legislature wing with the BJP.
Following the development, Dhavalikar who was Deputy Chief Minister then, was unceremoniously dropped from the cabinet and the vacancy thus created was filled by swearing in Pauskar.
On Monday, Patnekar held a hearing in his chamber wherein both Babu and Pauskar sought time which the former granted.
