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PAC files application in HC to become part of plea filed by Pilot camp MLA
Jaipur: Public Against Corruption (PAC), a civil society group that fights against graft, has filed a plea in the Rajasthan high court (HC), urging its name to be
Jaipur: Public Against Corruption (PAC), a civil society group that fights against graft, has filed a plea in the Rajasthan high court (HC), urging its name to be added among those of the respondents in the petition moved by rebel Congress lawmaker PR Meena, a supporter of sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and a challenger to assembly Speaker CP Joshi’s disqualification notices.
Last Thursday, the Pilot faction, which is locked in a bitter power struggle with the Ashok Gehlot-led government, had challenged the disqualification notices under the anti-defection law that pertains to the 10th Schedule of the Constitution.
The writ petition has argued that the dissident members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) have not done or said anything that would indicate that they were snapping their ties with the Congress.
The MLAs argued that they had neither given up their membership of the assembly nor did their failure to attend the two Congress legislature party (CLP) meetings, held on July 13 and 14, make them liable for disqualification on the grounds of defection.
Senior advocate PC Bhandari, general secretary, PAC, through an application requested the HC that the petitioner is a registered society formed to fight against corruption with the object to fight against graft in various social sectors. It reasoned that the petitioners have challenged in its prayer clause 2(1)(a) of the 10th Schedule read with Article 191 of the Constitution to be declared as illegal, which will give a fillip to horse-trading and corruption in society and across states.
The plea stated that “… all public dealings in various government offices have been put on hold and the public is feeling cheated to whom they voted for.”
It added: “The PAC wants to be a party in the present petition in a bid to put public grievances before the court and get them redressed.”
A division bench of the HC is expected to hear the plea of the 19 rebel MLAs, including Pilot, who were served show-cause notices last week, on Monday.
Earlier on July 15, the show-cause notices were served on the dissident lawmakers on the petition of chief whip of the assembly Mahesh Joshi, Speaker Joshi had said.
