Rajasthan Political Crisis LIVE Updates: HC Directs Speaker Not to Take Any Action against Sachin Pilot, Dissident Congress MLAs Till Tuesday

Lone CPI(M) MLA Pledges Support to Gehlot | Rajasthan's lone CPI(M) MLA Balwan Poonia pledges his support to Ashok Gehlot government in the state, says any attempt to topple it will not succeed.

Union minister Shekhawat refuted the charge, saying his voice is not in those recordings and that he was ready to face any probe. "This is not my voice... Let there be an investigation. I am ready to face any probe," the senior BJP leader from the state told reporters here after the Congress demanded his arrest. 

The Congress has demanded the arrest of union minister and BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and rebel Congress MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma after two audio clips surfaced pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to topple the Ashok Gehlot government. AICC spokesperson Randeep Surjewala targeted the central government and alleged that it is busy toppling Congress governments during the coronavirus pandemic.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra noted that Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said soon after the rebellion by Sachin Pilot that if there are many utensils in a house, then they collide and make noise at times. "The Congress is now trying to suppress this noise through a manufactured audio," Patra said.

Audio 'Manufactured': BJP | The BJP dismissed as "manufactured" some audio clips, which the Congress has cited to accuse it of trying to topple the Rajasthan government, and said the rival party was in frustration over its "inability" to keep its house in order.

Meanwhile, an SOG team has reached Rajasthan High Court with a request to collect voice samples of the accused.

Hearing Deferred Till Monday | The Bench suggests that the matter be adjourned till 10 am on Monday and the Speaker is not to act till Tuesday on notice.

Singhvi submits that the petition challenging the show cause notice issued by Speaker is "premature". They can raise the contentions before the Speaker.

Senior Congress leader and lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the respondents, submits that the Court cannot interfere with the notice issued by the Speaker.

Update from the Hearing | Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi submits that matter does not come under the ambit of the 10th schedule. Also raises the point regarding legislators' freedom of speech.

The Congress has received another jolt in Madhya Pradesh after Sumitra Devi Kasdekar, an MLA from Nepanagar in Burhanpur, resigned from the membership of the state assembly.

Pilot Meets Top Party Leader | According to sources, Sachin Pilot spoke to a top party leader and discussed a legal case. However, he made it clear that he still is a Congress man.

SOG Team to Run Spectrography Tests | ADG Rathore said SOG is also going to move court for permission to hold voice spectrography tests to match the voice samples. 

SOG Team to Take Statements of Dissident Cong MLAs | "A team is ready and will leave for Manesar to ascertain the versions of those whose names have come up in audio clips as there have been statements that these audio clips are fake or morphed," ADG (ATS & SOG) Ashok Rathore said. He said it would not be appropriate to comment until it is established in the investigation that the alleged names that have surfaced in the complaint and audio clips are those the real persons. 

SOG Team to Visit Manesar | A Special Operations Group team is to leave for Manesar in Haryana to take statements of Congress MLAs purportedly heard talking in a viral audio clip about horse-trading of legislators to topple the Gehlot government in Rajasthan, an official said. 

Update | The hearing in Rajasthan High Court has resumed. 

Security Beefed up at Dissident MLAs' Hotel | Security has been beefed up at Gurugram's ITC Grand Bharat Hotel. MLAs of Sachin Pilot group are staying in this hotel.

Selection of Lawyers Raises Eyebrows | The choice of lawyers --Mukul Rohatgi and Harish Salve--selected by Sachin Pilot to plead on his behalf in the Rajasthan High Court have also raised eyebrows within the Congress, with some party leaders saying the selection suggested the BJP involvement.

A RECAP | On Friday morning, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, citing a leaked audio clip, demanded an investigation into the alleged horse-trading A total of three audio clips started doing rounds late on Thursday evening. Soon after the audio clips began circulating on social media, MLA Bhawar Lal posted a tweet saying, “Fake audio clips have been released in my name. It is not my voice in these audio clips. I have not spoken to any leader. This is a ploy to malign my name by releasing fake audios.”

Bhanwar Lal Sharma was in 1996 alleged to be involved in a plot, in connivance with many other BJP MLAs, to destabilise the government of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat behind his back.

'Notice to MLAs Should Be Cancelled' | Concluding his arguments, Advocate Harish Salve says that the speakers' notice to the dissident MLAs should be cancelled.

'Whip Not Applicable': Salve | "Whip is not applicable to meetings at homes and hotels; only applies to proceedings within the house, said advocate Harish Salve for Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident MLAs.

Harish Salve Raises Issue of Freedom of Speech | Harish Salve raises the issue of freedom of speech of legislators. He submits that the disqualification notices are an attempt to stifle 'freedom of speech' and internal discussions.

'Dissent not Defection': Salve | Dissident Congress MLAs' advocate Harish Salve, arguing in Rajasthan High Court, said that raising disagreements regarding "dictatorial functioning" of the Chief Minister is an internal matter and that it did not amount to defection.

The Congress' attack on Shekhawat and some rebel Congress leasers, including MLA Bhanwarlal Sharma, came after two audio clips surfaced pertaining to an alleged conspiracy to topple the Gehlot…

'Acts Outside House Not Violation': Harish Salve | Dissident Congress MLAs' advocate Harish Salve, arguing in Rajasthan High Court, said that acts outside the House are not violation of anti-defection law.

One of the rebel Congress MLAs whose suspension of party membership was announced by the spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in a press conference in Jaipur on Thursday is Bhanwar Lal Sharma. As it happens, the name of the seven-time MLA from Sardarshahar, Churu, has often figured over the last three decades whenever attempts have been made to topple the state government. Read more here.

WATCH | Sachin Pilot's Political Career Through Rare Interviews

Update | Rajasthan High Court allows Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi's plea to be added as a respondent in the case.

Hearing Begins | Hearing begins at Rajasthan High Court on a petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs against disqualification notices issued to them by the Assembly Speaker.