The Jharkhand High Court has sought to know from Assembly Speaker Alamgir Alam when he would decide on pending anti-defection petitions against four ministers in the Shibu Soren Cabinet.

A bench of Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra and Justice D K Sinha on Wednesday directed the Speaker to file an affidavit on September 18 on the petitions lying with him.

The High Court’s direction came a month after it served notices to ministers Stephen Marandi, Kamlesh Singh, Bhanu Pratap Sahi and Enos Ekka besides former minister Chandraprakash Choudhary against whom the anti-defection petitions were pending.

The court disposed of the petition against Choudhary saying prima facie the petition against him did not have merit.

One Kuleshwar Singh along with a few others had filed the petitions against them, seeking a High Court directive to the Speaker for speedy decision on the pending petitions.

They also informed the bench that the petitions against the ministers had been pending with the Speaker since 2005 when Inder Singh Namdhari occupied the post.

Alam has reportedly said he is in the process of taking a decision.