Delhi HC Seeks Speaker’s Office Response on MLA Tanwar’s Disqualification

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 18th Oct. The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the Speaker’s office regarding a plea by MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar challenging his disqualification from the legislative assembly. Justice Sanjeev Narula issued a notice to the office of the Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly and scheduled further hearings for December 9.

Tanwar, who secured victory from the Chhatarpur constituency as an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate in the 2020 elections, was disqualified by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on September 24 under the anti-defection law. This action followed Tanwar’s departure from AAP to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in July, alongside fellow MLA Raaj Kumar Anand.

Senior advocate Jayant Mehta, representing Tanwar, argued that the termination order was “cryptic” and “non-speaking,” suggesting it was passed hastily without granting him an opportunity for a personal hearing. Mehta emphasized that the disqualification has hindered Tanwar’s ability to perform his legislative duties, adversely affecting development work in his constituency.

The petition, filed through lawyers Neeraj and Satya Ranjan Swain, calls for the annulment of the September 24 disqualification order. Additionally, the petition names MLA Dilip Kumar Pandey, who filed the complaint seeking Tanwar’s disqualification in August, as a party in the case. The court has also issued a notice to Pandey, requesting his response to the plea.

In his submission, Tanwar expressed that the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement initially motivated him to join AAP, but he claimed that various scams have tarnished the party’s reputation and revealed the true nature of its leaders.