Date:18/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/18/stories/2007111853650400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Speaker defers hearing on plea

Special Correspondent

Disqualification petition: Deve Gowda asked to appear on November 24

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Making their case: S. Rajendran, Vatal Nagaraj, and B.V. Srirama Reddy, MLAs, with advocate S. Basavaraju (second from right) attending the hearing before Speaker Krishna in Bangalore on Saturday.

Bangalore: The hearing on the petition seeking the disqualification of 37 Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs, including the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, before Speaker Krishna took place on Saturday, and JD(S) national president H.D. Deve Gowda has been summoned to appear before the Speaker on November 24.

Mr. Deve Gowda, who had been issued summons to appear before the Speaker to give clarifications on his decision to suspend 39 JD(S) MLAs and subsequent revocation of the decision, failed to turn up. Lawyers representing the former Prime Minister contended that the summons was not served on him but was received by somebody else. Hence, Mr. Deve Gowda did not attend the hearing.

Explanation sought

Mr. Krishna issued summons Mr. Deve Gowda directing him to appear before him on November 17 to explain the reasons that prompted him to write a letter to the then Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, on January 18, 2006 asking him not to recognise the group led by his son, Mr. Kumaraswamy, who had staged a political coup and formed the JD(S)-Bharatiya Janata Party government. This letter was handed over to the Speaker by the petitioners based on which Mr. Deve Gowda was called.

Even as the Speaker put off the hearing to November 24, the petitioners, Vatal Nagaraj G.V. Srirama Reddy (CPI-M) and S. Rajendran (RPI), pleaded with him for an interim order. They also requested the Speaker to issue notice directing the JD(S) MLA M.P. Prakash to appear before him.

The proceedings began with Mr. Nagaraj and two other MLAs appearing before the Speaker. Mr. Krishna told presspersons that he had decided to issue fresh summons to Mr. Deve Gowda.

D.L. Jagadish, advocate for Mr. Kumaraswamy and the other JD(S) legislators, said he had sought time to file a statement.

However, Mr. Nagaraj, Mr. Rajendran and Mr. Srirama Reddy opposed the postponement and demanded that at least an interim order restraining Mr. Kumaraswamy and the other JD(S) MLAs from participating in Monday’s crucial trust vote sought by the BJP-JD(S) coalition headed by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. The Speaker merely promised to examine the issue.

The hearing on two other petitions against the former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has since resigned from the JD(S) and been re-elected on a Congress ticket, and the JD(S) MLA P.G.R. Sindhia, who is planning to join the Bahujan Samaj Party, has been put off till December 1.

The JD(S) MLA Muniswamappa has filed the petition against Mr. Sindhia seeking his disqualification for campaigning against the party for the Chamundeshwari bypoll. As Mr. Sindhia, who had sought more time to gather documents and file his statement did not turn up, the Speaker postponed the hearing till December 1.