Rebel Kerala Congress (M) leader P C George was today disqualified as member of the state Assembly by Speaker N Shakthan under anti-defection law on a petition by the party.
The disqualification will come into force with retrospective effect from June 3 this year, the Speaker told reporters here.
The Speaker also said he has rejected George's resignation from the assembly submitted to him yesterday.
During the hearing on the petition, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had also appeared before the Speaker to depose against George.
This was the first time that a chief minister had given a statement in an anti-defection case against an MLA.
The action against George was taken on the basis of a petition filed by KC-M leader and government chief whip Thomas Unniyadan, seeking his disqualification for alleged anti-party activities since an assembly by-election held in June last.
The Poonjar MLA, who had been at loggerheads for the past one year with his party supremo and former Finance Minister K M Mani and ruling Congress-led UDF, had tendered his resignation letter to the Speaker yesterday, apparently anticipating the adverse verdict on his disqualification.
Meanwhile, reacting to his disqualification, George said he would challenge it in a court.
On rejection of his resignation, he said the Speaker had the obligation to examine the hand written letter.
The total strength of 140-member assembly has come down to 139 with the disqualification and that of the KCM MLAs to eight.
Following the demand of KC-M, the third largest partner in UDF, George was removed from the post of government chief whip in April last after he openly challenged party supremo K M Mani and Chandy.
Unniyadan in the petition, filed on behalf of KC-M, had alleged that George indulged in anti-party activities, violated party discipline and put up a candidate against the official UDF nominee in the Aruvikkara bypoll in June.
George had been wanting the party to expel him so that he could revive his faction-- Kerala Congress (Secular) and continue to be a part of UDF as a separate partner, without attracting the anti-defection law.
But Mani was not in favour of keeping George in the Front as a separate partner.
