Audio By Carbonatix
Co-Sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor is criticising the Supreme Court over its handling of the two cases filed against the bill.
This was after the Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned indefinitely two of the cases seeking to injunct the President from receiving the bill passed by Parliament.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Mr. Dafeamekpor stressed that the court should have adjourned the case to a specific date and should have held the parties to strict timelines to file documents.
"What troubled me is the fact that the Speaker requested for expeditious hearing and this happened late March and we are in May. So it is taking the court about six weeks to see to a request of expeditious hearing and I thought that by practice when such things happen, the court will be in a hurry to deal with such matters.
"They would have adjourned the matter to a definite date and then within that timeframe, ask the parties to file the processes they have directed them to file. But what we saw is that the matter has been adjourned indefinitely and I thought that when the Speaker as a party in a matter prays for expeditious hearing, it should matter.
"Because when the Attorney General made a request to the court that my matter for instance be given expeditious hearing, you saw the alacrity with which it was handled."
Touching on the development, Private Legal Practitioner Martin Kpebu said the case may be recalled by the end of June or early July given the timelines imposed by the court for the filing of documents.
"If you look at the time lines they gave, it is possible that they can return to court by ending of June. You see, the court gave Richard Sky up to 17th of June to file and he asked the Attorney General and the rest to respond within 7 days..
"So if he is able to follow up within 4 days, it will be served on the Attorney General which is 17 plus 4 and that will be 21st.
"Then the Attorney General and the rest have 7 days, so that will take us to 28th May, then it will take a few days for the documents to be sent to the judges and the registrar will now confer with the Chief justice to get a new date.
"So if everything goes according to plan, the new date will be announced ending of June."
Meanwhile, academic and analysts are wading into the decision by the Chief Justice to allow a live telecast of the case and the push by the Attorney General to have more cases of public interest broadcast live.
Vice President of the GJA, Linda Asante Adjei is urging caution, warning that some journalists may abuse the process.
"We need to have some kind of orientation for journalists who will be covering such cases,” she added.
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