The 19 rebel MLAs including former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday (July 22) moved the Supreme Court, urging it to hear their petition before taking a decision on Assembly Speaker CP Joshi’s plea against the Rajasthan High Court’s directive to stall their disqualification till Friday.
While Kapil Sibal is representing the Speaker, Mukul Rohatgi will represent the Pilot camp.
Earlier in the day, Joshi had moved the apex court challenging the Rajasthan High Court’s directive to stall any decision pertaining to the disqualification notices issued to Pilot and his 18 loyalists till Friday (July 24).
The speaker in his petition had urged the apex court to order the high court not to deliver any verdict on the matter as the matter of disqualification is part of the Assembly proceedings and that the high court shouldn’t have interfered in it by asking him to defer his actions.
“It is well-defined by the Supreme Court that only the Speaker can decide on anti-defection. The Speaker had full authority to send notice. It can be judicially reviewed only later, after the Speaker’s decision,” he told the media before filing his petition.
Pilot and the 18 rebel MLAs were issued disqualification notices by the speaker after they skipped the Congress Legislature Party meeting twice. Pilot’s camp moved the Rajasthan High Court challenging the notice and arguing that the Speaker cannot disqualify them when the Assembly is not in session. The court has deferred the action the Speaker twice by giving two three-day breathers to the rebel MLAs.
The disqualification of the 19 rebel MLAs will give an edge to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and make his job of proving majority easier. Gehlot claims to have the support of over 100 MLAs in the 200-member Assembly.