DIMAPUR, FEBRUARY 8: Hearing for the Interlocutory Application (IA) seeking the intervention of Gauhati High Court for restraining the 7 suspended rebel NPF legislators from entering the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) during the forthcoming session will be fixed on or before February 12, according to a report in The Northeast Today on Monday evening.
Citing Advocate Siddharth Borgohain, who is representing NPF, the report stated that during the second hearing of the IA on February 8, the respondents had raised a “pertinent” question on the maintainability of the writ petition.
“The matter was brought before the court today and the hearing has commenced on both the IA filed by them and the respondents,” Borgohain was quoted as saying.
In order to maintain fairness of procedure, the NPF has also asked for the maintainability of the writ petition to be heard, the advocate said.
“If the writ petition does not survive, we come up strong; so automatically restraining of those (7 MLAs) will be heard,” Borgohain added.
He was hopeful that the matter will come a logical conclusion, and will be heard and disposed off on or before February 12, the report stated.
It may be mentioned that the 7 rebel legislators include EE Pangteang, Eshak Konyak, Kejong Chang, BS Nganglang Phom, Toyang Chang, N Thongwang Konyak and CL John.
They were suspended from the party’s membership in April last year for defying the NPF’s decision to support the Congress candidate KL Chisi in the Lok Sabha polls and instead voting for the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) candidate Tokheho Yepthomi.
In their defence, the 7 MLAs said that they had backed the PDA candidate as their party’s decision to support the Congress candidate was “against the principle of regionalism”. (Page News Service)
