Rajya Sabha cross-voting row takes new twist as Orissa High Court issues notice to five BJD MLAs

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Bhubaneswar: The Rajya Sabha cross-voting row has now taken a new twist as Orissa High Court has issued notice to five Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) asking them to file their replies.

The court has reportedly issued notice to Arvind Mohapatra (Patkura MLA), Sanatan Mahakud (Champua MLA), Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda MLA), Souvic Biswal (Kataka-Choudwar MLA) and Subasini Jena (Basta MLA) and asked them to file their replies.

While hearing a plea filed seeking disqualification of the membership of the MLAs, the High Court bench of Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo issued notice to the five legislators, who have been already suspended by the BJD.

During the Rajya Sabha elections, allegations were raised that some BJD MLAs voted against the party’s decision. Taking this into account, the BJD had filed an application with Odisha Legislative Assembly Speaker Surma Padhi for the cancellation of the membership of 8 MLAs. However, the Speaker dismissed all the petitions citing procedural flaws in the petitions.

Later, BJD Chief Whip): Pramila Mallik approached the High Court challenging the Speaker’s order. A separate petition has been filed on her behalf.

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The conch party argued that if there are any flaws in the petitions, they should be given an opportunity to correct them. But the party has stated that it is not legal to dismiss the petitions without giving that opportunity and without considering the original complaint. Earlier, the High Court had issued a notice to Speaker in this regard.

While the Speaker took more time to file her reply, now five MLAs have also been asked to present their side. However, this notice is not the final decision regarding the cancellation of their membership.

The next hearing of the case will be conducted on January 11.

Also Read: BJD moves to suspend 8 MLAs over Rajya Sabha cross-voting

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