The Supreme Court has deferred hearing on a plea seeking directions to the Centre to frame rules defining a strict time-frame within which matters related to “defection” shall be decided and lay down guidelines to be followed by the Speakers & Chairman of lower & upper house in the parliament.
The plea also seeks Similar guidelines that should be followed by the Speaker of a State Legislative Assembly and by the Chairman of the State Legislative Council.
During the hearing today the CJI N.V. Ramana said, “the issue was raised earlier also, I remember that Mr. Kapil Sibal (Senior Advocate) has raised the similar issue but in that case we have left this issue with the legislature to decide. Read that judgement and then come back. List after two weeks.”
The bench was also comprising of Justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy.
The petition filed by Ranjit Mukherjee through AOR Srishti Agnihotri has asked the Court to look into the practice of mala-fide delays on the part of the Speakers/Chairmen of their respective houses in deciding matters related to political defeclions.
The plea also alleged that “The rampant practice of political defections, when unchecked due to such delays, shakes the con{idence of voters and young leaders, and goes against the grain of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. These rampant and unchecked political defections for personal or political gain hit at the root of Indian democracy, and violate the fundamental rights of Indian Citizens, under Article 21 of the Constitution.”