The Supreme Court on Monday, March 18, refused to stay disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs from Himachal Pradesh Assembly by the Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania. It said that the court can issue notice but there cannot be a stay on disqualification or fresh elections. The top court also issued notice to concerned respondents on six rebel Congress leaders' plea challenging the Assembly Speaker's decision to disqualify them.
On Sunday, Six disqualified Congress MLAs and three independent MLAs had said that they will file a defamation case against Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. The names of disqualified MLAs from the Congress party includes, Rajendra Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Ravi Thakur, Devendra Bhutto Chaitanya Sharma, along with independent MLAs --Hoshiar Singh, Ashish Sharma and K. l. Thakur.
The problems for the ruling Congress compounded after Himachal Pradesh PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh resigned. His resignation was not accepted even as his mother and state Congress chief Pratibha Singh took jibes at the style of functioning of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. A crisis in the ruling Congress was averted due to the intervention of central party leaders.
Meanwhile, bypolls will be held in six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh on June 1, coinciding with the seventh phase of Lok Sabha polls, on the vacancies that arose due to the disqualification of six Congress MLAs who had cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election last month and defied the party whip in the House during cut motion.