Supreme Court issues notice to rebel Congress Himachal MLAs on plea filed against disqualification

The Supreme Court issued notice on a plea by rebel Congress Himachal Pradesh legislators challenging their disqualification for cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls. The bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna refused to pass interim orders but issued notice on the application seeking a stay on fresh elections.

The six Congress MLAs, including Rajinder Rana and Sudhir Sharma, were disqualified by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania for defying a party whip by abstaining from voting on the budget. The rebel MLAs filed a petition directly before the apex court, stating that the Speaker’s order is “illegal and unconstitutional.”

The rebel MLAs – Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma – claimed that the Speaker’s February 29 order was unjust. The Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta, declined to stay the disqualification but issued notice on the plea seeking to halt fresh elections. The rebel MLAs are hoping for a favorable ruling in their case.