09/04/2023

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday allowed the application moved by sacked Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 dissident Cong. MLAs seeking impleadment of the Union of India as a party to the proceedings in the disqualification matter.

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday accepted a plea of the dissident Congress MLAs of Sachin Pilot camp to make the Union government a party in their writ petition challenging the Assembly Speaker’s disqualification notices issued to them.
The application stated that the Centre was a necessary party in the case because the writ petition had challenged constitutional validity of Clause 2(1)(a) of Tenth Schedule dealing with disqualification on the ground of defection.
The court ordered the  maintenance of status quo on the Assembly Speaker’s disqualification notices issued to rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs.
With this order, the Sachin Pilot camp has got a relief from the High Court, as no action will be taken against them. The Speaker cannot proceed on the notices issued by him. Also there is no necessity for Mr.  Pilot and MLAs supporting him to appear before the Speaker and respond to his notices.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has said that the Assembly session would be called soon and claimed that he had full majority and all legislators of the ruling party were united.
The Congress has been claiming the support of 109 legislators to the Gehlot government in the 200-member House. Mr. Gehlot said two Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meetings were called to enable those who had gone away to come back. Since they did not come, it looked like they had intentions of parting ways. Our chief whip then filed a petition with the Speaker in this regard.