HC dismisses writ seeking disqualification of rebel BSP MLAs

Allahabad, Feb 23 (UNI) Allahabad High Court today dismissed a writ petition seeking disqualification of the remaining 24 rebel BSP MLAs, after the recent Supreme Court verdict.

Earlier, 13 other rebel BSP MLAs were disqualified by the SC.

A total of 37 MLAs had formed the Loktantrik Bahujan Dal (LBD) after splitting in two groups in 2003 and later merged with the ruling Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

The writ petition was filed by two former Allahabad University student leaders -- S P Goswami and R N Dwivedi.

They had also sought a writ of quo warranto ousting 24 MLAs from the post of members of legislative assembly and seeking mandamus restraining all the 24 members from participating in the assembly proceedings by passing consequential order in view of the apex court judgement.

A division bench comprising Justices Anjani Kumar and Dilip Gupta passed the order.

The petitioners had contended the SC, by disqualifying 13 members had, in effect, also declared 24 other rebel BSP members disqualified.

Therefore, they should be ousted from the assembly and not be permitted to participate in the assembly proceedings, they contended.

During the course of argument, the bench asked the petitioners' counsel to point out even one SC observation, which could be read as the declaration or disqualification of 24 MLAs. However, the counsel could not refer to any.

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