Goa Speaker disallows Congress MLAs' motion for his removal

Goa Speaker Pramod Sawant on Wednesday disallowed a notice submitted by 16 Congress MLAs to seek permission to move a motion for his removal from office on the ground that it was not in sync with house procedures and constitutional provisions.

A statement issued here by the Speaker's Office said the notice was not "maintainable" as such communication needed to be moved by giving 14-day prior intimation during an ongoing session.

"The Governor has not summoned the Assembly at present. Summoning can be done after six months from the last day of the immediate past session. Therefore, the Speaker has advised the Legislature Secretary to accordingly communicate to the Leader of the Opposition that the said notice has been disallowed on the grounds of maintainability," the statement said.

The communique said that the Speaker's action was based on Advocate General's opinion, who had perused the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Goa Legislative Assembly, as well as provisions of the Constitution of India, before submitting his advice to the Speaker's Office.

On September 21, all 16 Congress MLAs issued the notice under Rule 243 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly, read with Article 179(C) of the Constitution to seek the Speaker's removal.

--IANS

maya/tsb/sed