PANAJI
Bombay High Court judge Mahesh Sonak recused himself from the petition filed by former Goa state Congress president Girish Chodankar who is seeking directions to Goa Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar to dispose off the disqualification petitions within a period of three months.
Chodankar filed the petition and pointed out that despite three months having passed since the disqualification petitions were filed, the Speaker is yet to issue notices much less begin hearings in the case.
Chodankar has cited a Supreme Court order which had mandated an outer limit of three months for the Speaker to decide disqualification petitions.
Justice Sonak’s recusal mirrors a similar decision he had taken to recuse from hearing the original disqualification petition Chodankar, then as Congress president had filed against the defection of ten Congress legislators to the BJP back in 2019.
The case was ultimately heard by a different bench and dismissed in favour of the defecting MLAs. The appeal against the High Court’s decision is also pending before the Supreme Court.
