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‘Go to Speaker’: SC rejects rebel AAP MLA’s plea over disqualification notice
A vacation bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice B R Gavai told the counsel appearing for Devendra Sehrawat that the AAP lawmaker can raise his grievances before the Assembly Speaker.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to interfere with Delhi Speaker notice to a rebel Aam Aadmi Party lawmaker Devendra Sehrawat facing disqualification proceedings and told the legislator to first approach the assembly’s presiding officer.
The top court’s vacation bench, which had accepted the legislator’s request for an urgent hearing, made it clear that it was not inclined to intervene at this stage.
“Go before the speaker… And if you have any grievance against the order, you can take recourse to legal remedy if available to you,” the bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and BR Gavai told the lawmaker
Sehrawat, who was elected to represent Bijwasan assembly constituency in south-west Delhi in the state assembly on an AAP ticket, had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. Sehrawat said he was sidelined and humiliated by the AAP leadership and its members.
On a complaint filed by AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj, speaker Ram Niwas Goel issued him a notice.
Another rebel MLA Anil Bajpai was also served a similar notice under the anti-defection law for joining the BJP. Bajpai is a legislator from Gandhi Nagar. They were given time till next week to submit their replies.
After the two AAP rebel legislators got themselves photographed with Delhi BJP leaders to indicate the switch, Devendra Sehrawat had insisted that he could not face disqualification as he hadn’t yet taken membership of the BJP.
