Rajasthan Political Crisis: Sachin Pilot Camp Moves High Court Against Disqualification Notice

The Rajasthan High Court will hear Thursday afternoon a petition filed on behalf of the Sachin Pilot camp, challenging a move to disqualify dissident MLAs from the state assembly.

Advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi will represent them in thr court. The hearing is likely to take place at 3 PM.

The plea against the disqualification notices will be heard by Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.

The 19 MLAs were sent notices Tuesday by the Speaker after the Congress complained that the MLAs had defied a party whip to attend two Congress Legislature Party meetings.

They have been asked to explain by Friday why they had skipped the Congress Legislature Party meet on Monday and Tuesday. 

Also Read: Not Joining BJP, Worked Hard To Bring Congress Back In Rajasthan, Says Pilot

The notices were sent after the chief whip of the Congress in Rajasthan Assembly, Mahesh Joshi, wrote to the Speaker, seeking proceedings against the rebel MLAs in accordance with the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.

The Congress also cited past Supreme Court rulings to seek their disqualification.

Notices have been sent to all rebels through E-mail and WhatsApp. Physical copies have also been delivered to the official Jaipur addresses and constituency addresses of the rebel MLAs.

Sachin Pilot was on Tuesday sacked as deputy chief minister and the state Congress president after he did not show up at the Congress Legislature Party meetings. Two other ministers in the Pilot camp were also dropped from the Cabinet.

The Congress chief whip alleged that over the past several days attempts are being made to topple the state government through “corruption, bribery and other illegal means”.

He also referred to a probe by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police to investigate the “conspiracy”.

ALSO READ: Sachin Pilot Says Won't Join BJP But Was He Ready To Defect?

The Congress has accused the opposition BJP of trying to lure its MLAs.

AICC general secretary Avinash Pande on Wednesday said it was up to the Speaker to decide what action to take if the replies to the notices were not satisfactory.

The Congress appointed Govind Singh Dotasara as the president of the party's Rajasthan unit.

With the appointment of the new president, a new state executive and departments will be formed, Pande said.

(With PTI Inouts)