SC rejects pleas of 9 disqualified MLA’s

The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as ‘academic’ the appeals of then nine rebel Congress MLAs of Uttarakhand challenging the Uttarakhand high court order that had upheld their disqualification by the speaker of the assembly. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud disposed of the pleas of MLAs, saying that a new assembly has come into being now.

The top court, however, made clear that it would hear the appeal of the Centre against the high court verdict holding as “unconstitutional” the imposition of the President rule in the hill state by sacking the then Congress government. “In our considered opinion the Special Leave Petitions (of MLAs) have become academic in nature and the new legislature assembly has come into being,” the bench said. It further said that the individual grievances of then disqualified MLAs do not survive. The court posted the matter for further hearing after 12 weeks.

The apex court had in September last year refused to stay the disqualification of then nine rebel Congress MLAs in the Uttarakhand, including state’s former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna.