The Congress has decided to move the Meghalaya High Court to challenge the legality of the decision by Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma in connection with the recent merger of its three MLAs with the NPP.
According to party sources, a legal notice has been served to Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma to explain the reason for accepting the merger of the three MLAs – Celestine Lyngdoh, Charles Marngar and Gabriel Wahlang with NPP.
Sources also said that last week, the notice was issued to the Speaker on the matter related to Marngar and Gabriel Wahlang. A separate legal notice is being sent to the Speaker on the matter related to Lyngdoh.
“The Congress is awaiting the response of the Speaker before moving the court on the matter,” party sources said.
Earlier on August 16, State Congress president Vincent Pala, apprehending that the three MLAs would defect, had summoned them for a meeting at the party office here.
However, only Lyngdoh turned up at the meeting. Marngar and Wahlang who did not show up were subsequently suspended for six years from the party.
Assembly Speaker, Thomas A. Sangma issued a notification on August 19 accepting the merger of the three Congress MLAs with NPP as they comprise two-third of the Congress MLAs in the Assembly.
According to the Speaker’s notification, the merger is allowed under Para 4 of the Tenth Schedule.
However, the Congress is likely to move the High Court on the contention that two of the MLAs – Marngar and Wahlang were already suspended from the party before the notification by the Speaker and therefore cannot join any other party after they were suspended by the original party.
The Congress also may move for legal action against Lyngdoh since he joined the NPP “alone” after his two colleagues were suspended by the party.
Thomas Sangma notified that the move by the three MLAs was permitted as a “merger” as opposed to defection, since this amounted to more than two-thirds of the Congress’s MLAs joining the NPP.
