HC orders fresh notices over MLAs’ resignation

Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court Tuesday directed its registry to issue fresh notices to six former and current legislators who played a role in the controversial resignations of 81 MLAs, including themselves, submitted to the then assembly speaker CP Joshi on Sept 25, 2022.
The division bench, comprising Justices Indrajit Singh and Pramil Kumar Mathur, gave the direction on a PIL filed by former BJP MLA Rajendra Rathore. The legislators set to receive the fresh notices include MLA and former minister Shanti Dhariwal, MLA Rafiq Khan and former MLAs Mahendra Chaudhary, Ramlal Jat, Sanyam Lodha and Mahesh Joshi.
The backdrop to this legal action involves the 81 MLAs who stayed away from a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting at the residence of then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, which was purportedly convened to select Sachin Pilot as the new CLP leader. Following the resignations, the speaker delayed acceptance for 113 days before ultimately rejecting the resignations.
During the court proceedings, Rathore highlighted that the six key persons involved in the case were yet to receive the court notices, prompting the demand for fresh orders. He further argued that if the 75 MLAs claim that they did not sign the resignations voluntarily, the six legislators who submitted the resignations on their behalf should be questioned.