Top court to consider BSY tape in K’taka MLA disqualification case
Order of the speaker [KR Ramesh] has to be tested. You have brought it to our notice, we will consider it. Allow us to deliver the judgement.
NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would consider the fresh audio clip in which Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa is purportedly referring to 17 rebel Congress-jd(s) MLAS, who had been disqualified.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana said since the issue has been brought to its notice the apex court would consider it. However, the bench did not specify whether it would take on record the audio clip.
The top court said the issue raised now was also brought before it during the hearing on the pleas filed by these MLAS challenging the then speaker’s decision to disqualify them.
A purported audio clip of Yediyurappa expressing anguish against his party leaders at a
Supreme Court bench
recent party meeting in Hubballi over their opposition to giving tickets to the disqualified Cong r e s s - JD( S) MLAS f or t he December 5 Assembly bypolls in 15 constituencies had surfaced last Friday.
In the audio, he is purportedly saying that the rebel Congress JD(S) MLAS, who were later disqualified, were kept in Mumbai during the final days of the coalition government under BJP national President Amit Shah’s watch.
Bypolls to 15 out of 17 seats represented by disqualified l egisl ators will be held on December 5.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Karnataka Congress, told the bench that in the audio clip, Yediyurappa has said during the core committee meeting of the BJP that the whole thing was “engineered” by BJP national president, who is also the union Home Minister.
“Order of the speaker has to be tested. If you want to place additional evidence on record then we will have to issue notice,” the bench said, adding, “You have brought it to our notice, we will consider it. Allow us to deliver the judgement”.
The speaker had disqualified 17 lawmakers as legislators, ruling that they cease to be MLAS with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th assembly (in 2023).