New Delhi: The Supreme Court declined to stay the disqualification order issued by the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker on Monday for six Congress rebels who had cross-voted in the state's most recent Rajya Sabha elections.
The office of Speaker of the HP Assembly Kuldeep Singh Pathania was notified by a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, requesting a response to the plea within four weeks.
The bench declared that rebel HP Congress MLAs would not be permitted to vote or take part in Assembly business while their appeal is being considered.
“On the question of by-election on six vacant seats, we will have to examine whether the elections which have been notified by the ECI are to be stayed during the pendency of plea,” the bench said.
It posted the matter for listing on May 6 and gave the rebel MLAs a week to file their rejoinder.
On February 29, the six rebels—Devinder Kumar Bhutto, Sudhir Sharma, Ravi Thakur, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma, and Ravi Thakur—were disqualified for refusing to follow a Congress whip and vote in favour of the Himachal Pradesh government during the cut motion and budget.
The filing of nominations for six vacant assembly seats starts on May 7.
[With inputs from PTI]