Minister Shyamkumar disqualified

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, March 28, 2020: After Supreme Court stripped ministership, Thounaojam Shyamkumar has been disqualified from being a member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly. He was disqualified by the Speaker’s Tribunal on Saturday.

Speaker Y. Khemchand in the disqualification order said, Shyamkumar has been disqualified as per the paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India read with Article 191(2) of the Constitution of India.

Shyamkumar ceases to be a member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly with immediate effect till the expiry of the term of 11th Legislative Assembly of Manipur.

It may be mentioned that Shyamkumar Singh tendered his resignation from the membership of Manipur Legislative Assembly on Thursday, 26th March 2020.

The Supreme Court in an order on March 18 removed him from the ministership and also banned him from entering the Assembly.

Shyamkumar was elected MLA from Andro assembly constituency on Congress ticket but later joined the BJP government and became a minister.

The Supreme Court on January 21 took note of inordinate delays in deciding 13 pleas for disqualification of lawmakers pending since April 2017 and had asked the Manipur Assembly Speaker to decide within four weeks the plea of a Congress leader seeking disqualification of Shyamkumar.

In 2017 state Assembly poll Congress party emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats and BJP won 21 seats. But BJP aligned with National People’s Party (NPP) and form a Government.

Reacting to disqualification of Shyamkumar, Congress MLA K. Meghachandra said “Nobody can go against Indian Constitution. Protecting the Constitution is respecting democracy”.

Welcoming the Tribunal’s decision, he lamented that the Speaker’s move was too late, as it has already affected the democratic rights of the people in the democracy.

“It has been 3 years I have been fighting for to get justice. I went to Manipur High Court and then to Supreme Court. Had not the Apex Court given the recent order and its landmark judgments, the Speaker even might not have given the justice. So, I am grateful to the Supreme Court”, he added.