Rajasthan political crisis: Supreme Court to hear Speaker's plea against HC order today

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will on Monday hear an appeal filed by Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi, against High Court's earlier order staying the disqualification proceedings against former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 Congress MLAs.

The court is scheduled to hear the matter at 11 am.

The Rajasthan High Court had on July 24 directed to maintain "status quo" on the disqualification proceeding against former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 other MLAs of his camp pending before the State Assembly Speaker.

Earlier, Rajasthan High Court asked Assembly Speaker CP Joshi to defer the proceedings pending before him on the disqualification notices issued to Pilot and 18 MLAs of his faction and put off the verdict on the matter till July 24.

Joshi had approached the top court with an SLP against the interim order of the Rajasthan High Court, which had on Tuesday asked Speaker CP Joshi to defer the proceedings pending before him on the disqualification notices issued to Pilot and 18 MLAs, and put off the verdict on the matter till July 24.

On July 23, the Supreme Court held that the Rajasthan High Court can pass an order on former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and other MLAs' plea against disqualification notice issued against them by the State Assembly Speaker.

The notices were issued to Pilot and 18 MLAs under the anti-defection law after the chief whip's application for their disqualification. They were earlier asked to present before the Assembly Speaker on July 17, but the same was deferred in view of the hearing before the High Court.

The development had come as Rajasthan Congress is in turmoil after simmering differences between Pilot and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot came out in the open. Sachin Pilot was removed as the Deputy Chief Minister and the state unit chief of Congress.

(ANI)

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