Rajasthan crisis: Will HC make Centre a party

New Delhi, July 24: The Rajasthan High Court will pronounce its verdict on a plea filed by Sachin Pilot and the rebel MLAs at 10.30 am today.

Pilot and the other MLAs had challenged the disqualification notice issued to them by the Speaker of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

• The HC may make Centre a party to the case in order to seek its opinion on the anti-defection law. If this is done, then the case may get further delayed.

• The Supreme Court, on Thursday while permitting the Rajasthan HC to deliver the verdict however added that the same would be subject to the outcome of the verdict of the Supreme Court.
• The Speaker urged the court to stay further proceedings in the Rajasthan High Court until the matter is decided by the SC. However the SC decline to stay the proceedings before the Rajasthan HC.
• The Supreme Court had on Thursday asked the Rajasthan Speaker if a voice of dissent can be shut down in a democracy. They are after all elected representatives and this is a very serious matter, the court told the Speaker, who has challenged the Rajasthan High Court's order which directed that the disqualification proceedings be kept in abeyance.
• The court also said that the question here is about democracy. How will it survive? This is not just about disqualification of some people, the Bench also said.
• Appearing for the Speaker, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said that the MLAs cannot file a petition saying that the Speaker cannot issue notices to them. I have not decided anything as yet, Sibal said for the Speaker.
• The Speaker's contention is that the the notice issued to the 19 rebel MLAs of the Congress, including Sachin Pilot on disqualification petition is part of the Assembly proceedings and hence cannot be interfered within the interim by the HC. He also contends that the HC could not have interfered with the proceedings by ordering a deferment till July 24.
• The Speaker also contended that the HC's order to him to defer the Tenth Schedule or anti defection proceedings till July 24 is a direct intrusion by the judiciary into his exclusive domain.