'Speaker's decision to disqualify 14 MLAs a violation of SC's order'

Senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar claimed that the Speaker KR Ramesha Kumar's decision to disqualify 14 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs in one go has violated the Supreme Court order. Shettar said that rebel MLAs had sought a time period of four weeks, which was not granted, and added that they did not get "natural justice".

Bengaluru (Karnataka): Senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar on Sunday said that the decision of Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar to disqualify 14 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs in one go is the violation of the Supreme Court's order, which says that the Speaker must have taken a call on their resignations first.

"This is the violation of the Supreme Court's (SC) order. There is a specific direction by the SC. You have to first decide regarding the application of resignation petitions," he told media.

"The resignations have to be disposed of within a time-bound manner and then you report to the SC. If you see the order of 14 MLAs, there is no mention about their resignation petitions," he said.

Shettar said that rebel MLAs had sought a time period of four weeks, which was not granted, and added that they did not get "natural justice".

"At the SC's directions, you first decide about the resignations. There is no natural justice. There was no hearing to other parties, who had requested for four weeks' time. But, no time was given. If they go to the SC, then the disqualification order will be quashed," he said.

The 11 rebel Congress legislators who were disqualified under the anti-defection law were -- Pratap Gowda Patil, BC Patil, Shivanand Hebbar, ST Somashekar, Shrimant Patil, BA Basavaraja, Anand Singh, R Roshan Baig, Muniratna, K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj.

The three MLAs disqualified are from JD(S) which include -- AH Vishwanath, Narayan Gowda, and Gopalaiah.

Three MLAs will move the Supreme Court on Monday to challenge Kumar's decision to disqualify them under the anti-defection law.

Congress legislators Ramesh Jarakiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli and Independent R Shankar were disqualified by the Speaker on June 25.

Other 14 MLAs, who were disqualified by the Speaker earlier on Sunday, are also likely to join their petition, said the sources.

READ | Disqualification of K'taka rebel MLAs to send strong signal across country: Siddaramaiah