SC disqualifies 13 UP MLAs supporting govt

New Delhi, Feb 14: In a major setback to the Mulayam Singh Yadav government, the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling on defections within political parties, today dismissed the petitions of 37 MLAs of the BSP breakaway faction, who had formed an independent group and enabled the formation of the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

A five-member Constitution Bench, comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices H K Sema, A R Lakshmanan, P K Balasubramanyan and D K Jain, in its unanimous verdict, held that 13 MLAs of the breakaway group, called the Bahujan Loktantrik Dal (BLD), who had defected on August 27, 2003, were guilty of defection and disqualified them as MLAs.

The apex court also held that the split in the political parties has to be prima facie demonstrated and claims of a split do not matter.

Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav said he was unfazed by the ruling and refused to step down. He asserted that his government enjoyed the confidence of the House.

Major political parties, including the Congress, BJP and Left, welcomed the verdict and demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister on moral grounds.

Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said Mr Yadav had lost ''ethical, moral and legal right to rule'' in the wake of the verdict.

The BJP said the ruling Samajwadi Party should own responsibility and quit. The party demanded imposition of President's Rule in the state.

While the CPI(M) sought more time to come out with a ''considered reaction'', the CPI said the role of the Speaker should also come into question as he ''misinterpreted and manupulated'' the defections.

The Forward Bloc said the defectors should draw a lesson from the verdict.

The opposition in Uttar Pradesh termed the development as a ''constitutional crisis'' and said to maintain democratic norms, the Chief Minister should immediately step down.

The Court, dismissing the appeals x x x Picking up from para one of DI 37.

UNI