SC to hear pleas challenging disqualification of rebel Karnataka MLAs today

New Delhi/Bengaluru: The Supreme Court on Monday will hear the petitions filed by 17 disqualified MLAs of Karnataka challenging the decision of the then Speaker to disqualify them from the Assembly.

After the Election Commission announced the date for by-elections in the 15 assembly constituencies represented by the disqualified MLAs a lot of attention will on the apex court’s decision today.

The political careers of these Congress and JD(s) MLAs mainly lies on the decision of the court as they cannot contest the by-election if the court decides to uphold their disqualification.

On September 17 Supreme Court judge Justice M M Shantanagoudar had recused himself from hearing petitions filed by 17 disqualified MLAs of Karnataka challenging the decision of the then Speaker to disqualify them from the Assembly.

“In this matter, I am not participating” Justice Shantanagoudar, who was part of a three-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana, said at the outset.

The bench has now posted the matter for hearing on September 23.

The then Assembly speaker, K R Ramesh Kumar, had disqualified 17 MLAs which eventually led to the fall of the JD (S)-Congress coalition government headed by then chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy had resigned as the chief minister after losing the trust vote which paved the way for the BJP-led government in Karnataka under incumbent Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.