Raj Crisis: Relief For Sachin Pilot As HC Restrains Speaker

JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday deferred the verdict till July 24 on the writ petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs who had challenged their disqualification notices issued to them by the assembly speaker.

The High Court also asked the assembly speaker not to take any action against Sachin Pilot and other Congress MLAs.

The Rajasthan High Court is expected to dispose of the writ petitions filed by Sachin Pilot and his section of MLAs and pronounce the verdict on July 24.

The High Court's restraint comes as a great relief for Sachin Pilot and his group of MLAs amid the ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan.

Arguments were heard and completed on Tuesday. All the parties have been asked to file their written arguments by Friday.
    
"The court will now pass appropriate orders on July 24. The speaker was also requested to defer action on the notices till Friday," the counsel for the Speaker said.
    
The court also allowed the application of two other parties to be included as respondents and heard them on Tuesday.
    
"It will become clear on July 24 whether the court pronounces the final order or interim order," the counsel said.
    
Earlier, counsels told reporters that the order has been reserved.
    
Pilot and the 18 dissident Congress MLAs have challenged their disqualification notices in the high court through a writ petition. The petition was taken up by a bench comprising Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Prakash Gupta on Friday and arguments were heard.
    
The high court on Friday given a four-day reprieve to Sachin Pilot and other Congress dissidents from any action by Rajasthan Speaker on the disqualification notices served on them by extending the hearing into their petition.
    
The hearing continued on Monday but it remained inconclusive and resumed on Tuesday.
    
The notices to MLAs were served after the Congress party complained to the Speaker that the legislators had defied a whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings, on Monday and Tuesday last week.
    
The Pilot camp, however, argued that a party whip applies only when the assembly is in session.
    
In its complaint to the Legislative Assembly Speaker, the Congress sought action against Pilot and the other dissidents under paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
    
The provision disqualifies MLAs if they 'voluntarily' give up the membership of the party which they represent in the House.
    
Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the president of the state unit of the party after he rebelled against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. (PTI)