In a relief for Sachin Pilot and his 18 dissident Congress MLAs, the Rajasthan High Court has maintained “status quo” as per the Supreme Court’s order. This means that no actions can be taken against the Pilot camp until the Supreme Court’s hearing on the matter on Monday.
The order came after the team Sachin filed a writ petition challenging the disqualification notices. The matter was taken up by the bench on July 17. The team argued that the party whip applies only when the assembly is in seat.
The Supreme Court today rejected the request of Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi to defer the disqualification proceedings till July 24. The supreme court further said that the “voice of dissent” in a democracy cannot be suppressed.
The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari, said Joshi’s plea raises important questions and requires prolonged hearing. “We are not restraining the High Court from passing the order but it will be subject to the outcome of the petition (of Speaker) before the Supreme Court,” the bench said. The next hearing will be on July 27.
