Madhya Pradesh Political Crisis: Why No Decision On MLAs Resignations Yet, Supreme Court Asks Speaker

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing for tomorrow in petitions filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking the trust vote in Madhya Pradesh. The top court also refused to accept the proposal for producing 16 rebel Congress MLAs of the Madhya Pradesh in judges’ chamber saying ‘as a constitutional court, we have to discharge our duties.’ The court also observed that the lawmakers may or may not go to the Assembly but they cannot be held captive.

A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta said it is not going to come in the way of the legislature to decide who enjoys the trust but it has to ensure that there is a free exercise of choice which these 16 MLAs can make. The bench declined the offer of the rebel Congress MLAs saying it would not be appropriate and also refused to send its Registrar General to meet them.

The court asked lawyers to assist it on modalities for ensuring free access to the Assembly and choice.

The bench was hearing cross petitions filed by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Congress on the ongoing political crisis in the state after 22 rebel MLAs of the ruling combine purportedly offered to resign.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Chouhan, offered to produce all the 16 rebel MLAs in the judges’ chamber, which the court denied. He also said that as an alternative, Registrar General of Karnataka High Court could go and meet the rebel MLAs on Thursday and video record everything.

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Rohatgi questioned maintainability of the Congress plea and said how can a political party ask for access to rebel MLAs in their petition. The problem is Congress wants the rebel MLAs to go to Bhopal so that they can be lured and it can do horse trading, said Rohatgi.

The rebel MLAs told the bench that they were ready to face consequences as per the Constitution and expressed their unwillingness to meet Congress leaders.

“Speaker cannot sit on our resignations. Can he choose to accept some resignations and not others because political game is going on?”, asked the MLAs.

Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the MLAs, said their right to resign was constitutional and asked what was the corresponding duty of the Speaker for accepting resignations.

Singh said all these MLAs held a press conference declaring that the decisions they took was based on their own free will and the same has been sworn in their affidavits as well.

“We aren’t abducted and are producing this evidence in a CD to the court. We don’t want to meet the Congress leaders, there is no principle of law to compel us,” the MLAs told the bench.

Earlier in the day, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Party sought trust vote in the state assembly to be deferred till by-polls for the vacant seats are concluded, saying “heavens are not going to fall” if its government led by Kamal Nath is allowed to remain in office till then.

With PTI Inputs