SC to hear pleas challenging disqualification of rebel Karnataka MLAs

If the SC fails to give the MLAs relief, bypolls will have to be held from the seats

Supreme Court to hear plea of 10 rebel Karnataka MLAs today [File] A Supreme Court bench headed by S.A. Bobde will hear the MLAs' plea | Sanjay Ahlawat

The Supreme Court will today hear a petition challenging the disqualification of 17 rebel Karnataka MLAs from the Congress and the JD(S), whose resignation led to the fall of the ruling coalition. 

The Karnataka assembly speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar had disqualified 17 MLAs from the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, owing to which the coalition lost the trust vote in the floor of the house. Narayana Gowda who represents KR Pet, K. Gopalaiah who represents Mahalakshmi Layout and A.H. Vishwanath from Hunsur were among those disqualified from the JD(S). K. Sudhakar from Chikaballapur, M.T.B. Nagaraj from Hoskote, Srimanth Patil from Kagwad, Roshan Baig from Shivajinagar, Anand Singh from Vijayanagara, S.T. Somasekhar from Yeshwanthpur, Shivram Hebbar from Yellappur, Pratap Gowda Patil from Maski, Byrati Basavraj from KR Puram, Munirathna from RR Nagar, Ramesh Jarkiholi from Gokak and Mahesh Kumtahalli from Athani
were those disqualified from the Congress side. Independent MLA R. Shankar, who had merged his party KPJP with the Congress before becoming an MLA, also came under the axe.

MLAs R. Shankar, Ramesh Jharkhiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli had approached the Supreme Court, calling the decision of the speaker “arbitrary, unreasonable, in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution in fundamental rights, and in violation of their Constitutional rights under Article 190”. The disqualification means that, under the purview of the anti-defection laws, none of the rebel MLAs can become a minister in the duration of the 15th legislative assembly, which will last till 2023.

If the Supreme Court fails to give the MLAs relief, bypolls will have to be held from the seats.