Mizoram: State Governor Files Petition To Remove Sports Minister Royte From Office
AIZAWL: The state governor of Mizoram, Hari Babu Kambhampati, has been petitioned to remove sports minister Robert Romawia Royte from office for allegedly holding an "office of profit" by the main opposition Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM).
ZPM claimed that Robert Romawia Royte, the Mizoram sports minister, owned a consulting business that carried out numerous contracts for the state government in defiance of the Representation of People (RP) Act.
A petition calling for Royte's disqualification was submitted on Tuesday, according to ZPM general secretary (vigilance department) SL Ngursailova Sailo. Royte also holds portfolios for tourism and information and communication technology in the Mizoram cabinet.
According to the appeal sent to the governor of Mizoram, Royte, the company's sole proprietor, continued to manage his business and make timely GST payments even after he was chosen to serve in the state legislature in 2018.
Vanlalfelpuia Royte, the biological son of the Mizoram minister, was registered as the proprietor of the firm under the GST in May 2019, the petition said, while the NECS with Royte as the proprietor was registered under the GST in 2017.
But, according to the consultant firm, neither the Mizoram Societies Registration Act, 2005, nor the Companies Act, 1956, required registration.
According to the plea, the firm violated Section 9A of the RP Act when it signed a "deed of agreement" with the state District Council and Minority Affairs department in June 2022 to carry out work under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) plan for two years.
In contravention of the Mizoram Transparency in Public Procurement Act of 2008 and the Mizoram Public Procurement Regulations of 2020, the transaction was executed using "single source selection," it claimed.
The NECS has been carrying out various projects since it was approved as an empaneled firm by the state government in September 2022, according to the statement, but Royte hid in his declaration information regarding the ongoing projects performed by his firm at the time of filing his nomination in 2018.
According to the petition, Royte has complete control over how the NECS is run because Vanlalfelpuia is entirely dependent on him and hasn't broken up with him. They both share a home.
Additionally, it was stated that the minister enjoys all financial advantages and other interests as a result of being the company's owner.
The petition claimed that the minister's use of his firm to seek and receive financial benefits constituted not merely a "conflict of interest," but also an abuse of authority and a betrayal of the confidence of the public.
The measures Royte took were unlawful and arbitrary, in violation of the RP Act, and made him vulnerable to being disqualified from serving as a legislator, it continued.
Royte was unavailable for comment.
The Mizo National Front (MNF) lawmaker from Aizawl East-II constituency was the second wealthiest of the 209 candidates who ran in the most recent assembly elections in November 2018, with declared assets totaling Rs. 44 crore.
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