SC agrees to list plea filed against change in Maharashtra Speaker election rules
Mar 15, 2022
New Delhi [India], March 15 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to list the plea filed by Maharashtra BJP MLA Girish Mahajan challenging the validity of new rules of the open voting method to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly.
A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices AS Bopanna and Hima Kohli said it will list the matter for hearing after senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for Mahajan, mentioned the matter before it for urgent hearing.
Dwivedi said the plea needed an urgent hearing in view of the changes made in the process for electing the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
"Let me see," the CJI said.
Mahajan has challenged the March 9 order of the Bombay High Court dismissing his plea against the new rules envisaging open voting method to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly.
The notification of December 23, 2021 was "illegally and arbitrarily" issued by the Maharashtra government amending Rules 6 and 7 of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Rule, 1960, under which the secret ballot method was replaced with an open vote system through a voice vote and show of hands, said Mahajan in his plea.
The amendment to Rule 6 and Rule 7 of the MLA Rules states that the "secret ballot" system for the election of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of assembly has been replaced with an "open" voting system, the plea added.
