How Will Rebel MLAs Contesting Bypolls Affect Karnataka Politics?
The SC gave its verdict on the disqualification of 17 rebel Karnataka MLAs of the former Congress-JD(S) government.
It was a really busy day in the Supreme Court today – there were some important verdicts like the Chief Justice of India’s office under RTI Act, then another one on the disqualified rebel MLAs of Karnataka, tomorrow there will be two more important verdicts on Sabarimala and the Rafale review petitions, but in this podcast I’d like to draw your attention to Karnataka, which had some political decisions made for it today in the Supreme Court.
The apex court gave its verdict on the disqualification of the 17 rebel Karnataka MLAs of the former Congress-JD(S) government by the then-Assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar.
The top court upheld the order of KR Ramesh Kumar, saying that the rebel MLAs still stand disqualified – but it made one change. Kumar's order had barred these MLAs from contesting for a whole term until 2023, but the SC removed the time frame of their disqualification and paved the way for them to contest the bypolls on 5 December.
If elected in the bypolls, these disqualified MLAs can hold public office again. What led the SC to this decision? And how will this verdict impact the political scene in the state? Tune in to The Big Story.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)