The Delhi High Court has called for a response from the Speaker’s office regarding the disqualification challenge raised by MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar. Justice Sanjeev Narula issued a notice following Tanwar’s plea against his removal under the anti-defection law and has scheduled the next hearing for December 9.
Kartar Singh Tanwar, elected from Chhatarpur constituency in 2020 on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket, was disqualified by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on September 24. This action followed shortly after Tanwar left AAP and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in July, alongside fellow MLA Raaj Kumar Anand.
Represented by Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta, Tanwar argues that the disqualification order was rushed and lacked adequate explanation, also claiming that he was denied a personal hearing. Mehta highlighted the negative impact of this decision on Tanwar’s ability to perform his legislative duties and continue his developmental work in his constituency.
The petition, facilitated by lawyers Neeraj and Satya Ranjan Swain, seeks to overturn the disqualification, asserting that it was procedurally flawed. “The order was cryptic and non-speaking, passed in haste without affording an opportunity of personal hearing,” stated the petition.
Additionally, the court has also directed MLA Dilip Kumar Pandey, who had initially lodged the disqualification complaint in August, to respond to Tanwar’s claims. In his plea, Tanwar criticized the AAP, mentioning that his initial motivation to join the party stemmed from the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement. However, he expressed disillusionment over the subsequent scandals that, according to him, tainted the party’s reputation and exposed the alleged duplicity of its leaders.
