E-Paper
No filling of expelled MPs' seats without notice: SC
The court, however, asked the EC to go ahead with the election for filling the lone RS seat that fell vacant on the expulsion of Lodha.
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Election Commission (EC) not to initiate without its permission the process for filling the vacancies created by the expulsion of ten Lok Sabha members in the wake of the 'cash-for-queries' scam.
The direction came from a Bench of Chief Justice YK Sabharwal, Justice CK Thakker and Justice RV Raveendran, while hearing a petition filed by expelled BSP MP Raja Ram Pal challenging his expulsion.
The court, which has transferred to itself ten other petitions pending in the Delhi High Court, however, asked the EC to go ahead with the election for filling the lone Rajya Sabha seat that fell vacant on the expulsion of Chhatrapal Singh Lodha but made it clear it shall be subject to the outcome of the writ petition.
It allowed the expelled MPs' plea to let them continue in the official accommodation provided to them.
The court said all the matters shall go to a Constitution Bench, which shall decide if Parliament has the power to expel its members or not.
EC counsel S Murlidhar told the court that the Commission had no immediate plans to hold elections for the ten Lok Sabha seats.
However, the EC plans to initiate proceedings for filling up the Rajya Sabha seat soon, he said.
