JAIPUR: In a major relief to Sachin Pilot and his faction of MLAs, the Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday reserved its order till July 24 on their challenge to notices served by the Speaker on their alleged "anti-party activities".
Significantly, the HC also asked the Speaker not to take any action against the Pilot camp till Friday. Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs had filed a writ petition last week challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by the Assembly Speaker.
During the hearings, top lawyers on both sides argued over whether dissent is "anti-party" and whether the Speaker's notice to the dissenters group violates freedom of speech.
Representing Pilot and his rebel MLAs, Mukul Rohatgi said Speaker CP Joshi had shown a "tearing hurry" and had given no reasons while serving notices to disqualify Sachin Pilot and others after they skipped two meetings. He claimed "in the middle of the pandemic, only three days' time was given to the MLAs to respond to the notice. The reading of these facts leaves no manner of doubt that the decision (to suspend MLAs) is a foregone conclusion."
Earlier, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Speaker, had said the rebel MLAs cannot approach the court before any action. "The Speaker and the Assembly are not in the judicial purview of the court for now," asserted Singhvi.
While suspense continues over the verdict that may be handed out to the Pilot camp, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot held a string of meetings on Tuesday which suggest that he may soon go for a test of strength in the Assembly.
At the CLP meet, CM Gehlot claimed that he has the support of over 110 legislators. Addressing the MLAs in the third meeting of the CLP in the past 10 days at Fairmont hotel in Jaipur, where they have been staying since last week, Gehlot urged the MLAs in his camp to “stand firm like a rock” and assured them that the mandate is with the Congress party.
With the Gehlot-Pilot feud turning into a numbers game, the CM told the MLAs to stay firm and united. “We will have more than 115 MLAs, including some from among the absentees. Nobody wants elections to happen, be it Congress or the BJP,” Gehlot said during the meeting, according to sources at the CLP meeting.
The CM also called a cabinet meeting at his home in the evening leading to a big buzz that a floor test through a brief session of the Assembly may soon be likely. Advisors and strategists of the CM camp are reportedly fine-tuning a plan to hold a brief session of the Assembly at the earliest.