SC adjourns hearing on rebel Karnataka MLAs plea

After Supreme Court Justice M.M. Shantanagoudar recused the hearing of rebel Karnataka MLAs plea challenging their disqualification from the state Assembly, the top court on Tuesday adjourned the matter.

When the matter came up for hearing before a three bench of Justices Shantanagoudar, N.V. Ramana and Ajay Rastogi, the former recused to hear the matter.

Justice Shantanagoudar said that his conscience did not allow to hear the case, even as senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Kapil Sibal insisted to hear him saying that they don't have any problem.

Justice Shantanagoudar was earlier a judge in the Karnataka High Court.

The bench thereafter adjourned the matter, which is likely to be heard on September 23.

The court was hearing the legislators' plea seeking the court's directions to quash the former Assembly Speaker's decision to disqualify them from the House.

On July 28, then state Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar disqualified the 14 rebel MLAs, rejecting the resignations tendered by them.

The MLAs had remained absent from the House on July 23 when former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy put the confidence motion to vote.

The legislators said that the actions of the then Speaker was in gross violation of the orders passed by the apex court, completely illegal and unconstitutional.IANS