Friday, May 20 2005 13:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court today (May 20, 2005) observed that it did not incline to direct Assembly Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari on the house membership of State Rural Development Minister Enos Ekka, but expected an expeditious end to the matter by the Speaker himself.

Disposing of the petition of Jharkhand Party president N E Horo seeking direction to the Speaker to take a decision on Ekka's membership of the Assembly, a two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Altamus Kabir and Justice K Marethia said considering the high esteem of the office of the Speaker, the High Court was not inclined to issue any direction.

However, the Chief Justice, who read out the judgement, which was reserved on Tuesday (May 17, 2005) after two days of hearing, said that the court expected that the honourable Speaker would pass the appropriate orders and thus end the matter.

The Speaker was represented by Dilip Jairath.

Earlier during hearing, Horo's counsel R K Anand had contended that before the Speaker's election was conducted, the pending disqualification petition against Ekka should have been taken up by the Protem Speaker Karia Munda.

Horo moved the High Court after Ekka 'flouted party whip' and joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp.