The Calcutta High Court has sought a response from the West Bengal government on a plea challenging the appointment of Trinamool Congress MLA Mukul Roy as the chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Bengal Legislative Assembly.
A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal on Tuesday granted additional time to the state government to submit a counter affidavit by August 12.
The court also took on record the written submission filed by BJP leader Ambika Roy, who is the petitioner, seeking removal of Mukul Roy as PAC Chairman.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta said that the Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee wished to submit an affidavit before the court.
Despite opposition from the BJP, Mukul Roy was appointed as the PAC chairperson on July 9.
The saffron party alleged that the PAC chairman is from the Opposition party and hence Mukul Roy’s name for the post goes against the norms.
The MLA of Krishnanagar Uttar constituency, Mukul Roy, who had won on a BJP ticket, had defected to his erstwhile party on June 11.
Speaker Biman Banerjee, however, stated that there was no impropriety in Mukul Roy’s appointment.
Kishore Dutta too questioned the maintainability of the petition as the issue should be taken up solely by the West Bengal Assembly.
He added that the announcement of the PAC Chairman’s name was made while the House was in session.
Soon after Mukul Roy had become PAC Chairman, the leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, said that he would move court over the issue.
READ: Suvendu Adhikari, other BJP MLAs to meet President Ram Nath Kovind over Mukul Roy’s appointment as PAC head
WATCH: Mukul Roy appointed PAC chairman in Bengal Assembly, BJP stages walkout
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/law/story/calcutta-hc-west-bengal-govt-plea-tmc-mukul-roy-pac-chairman-1839192-2021-08-10