Calcutta High Court Rejects Mukul Roy's Request For Long Adjournment Saying He Was Seen In TV Interview Recently

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday adjourned to September 10 the hearing of the plea moved by BJP MLA Ambika Roy challenging the appointment of TMC MLA Mukul Roy as the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.  The matter was adjourned after the counsel appearing on behalf of Mukul Roy submitted that he had been unable to hold a conference with his client. Accordingly, a request for a long adjournment was sought. 

However, such a request for adjournment was vehemently opposed by counsels appearing on behalf of BJP MLA Ambika Roy led by senior advocate C.S Vaidyanathan. It was contended by the petitioner that the State government and Mukul Roy were engaging in dilatory tactics and were deliberately delaying proceedings despite the fact that the instant matter was of grave 'public importance'. 

On Wednesday, the counsel for the petitioner pointed out to the Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj that Mukul Roy (Respondent 2) had appeared for a TV interview the day before yesterday and accordingly opposed the request for a long adjournment of the matter. 

Acceding to the request to not grant a long adjournment, the Bench recorded in its order, 

"The petitioner opposed the request for a long adjournment on the ground that the Respondent 2 was on TV the day before yesterday. This was not disputed by the counsel appearing for Respondent 2. We therefore reject such a request for long adjournment". Accordingly, the Bench listed the matter on September 10 for further arguments. 

On July 9, Mukul Roy had been appointed as the Chairman of PAC by the Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for the year 2021-2022. The plea filed before the Court had contended that on June 11, without officially resigning from the BJP or as the MLA of Krishnanagar Uttar constituency, Mukul Roy had defected to the TMC party on June 11, 2021.

On the previous date of hearing, senior counsel C.S Vaidyanathan had submitted before the Bench that there exists a healthy tradition for the last 54 years wherein the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly always appoints a Member of the Opposition as the PAC Chairman. This practice is in line with 'constitutional morality' and thus such a constitutional convention has been breached in the instant case, the senior counsel alleged. 

Case Title: Ambika Roy v. The Speaker, West Bengal Legislative Assembly and Ors