SC Stays EC’s Notification for Bypoll in Gujarat’s Talala Seat

Congress MLA from Talala constituency in Gir Somnath District Gujarat, Bhagvan Barad.

(Photo Courtesy: Altered By The Quint)

The Supreme Court on Monday, 1 April, stayed the Election Commission's 10 March notification declaring Gujarat's Talala Assembly constituency seat as vacant and announcing a bypoll there along with the Lok Sabha elections.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also issued notice to the poll panel on a plea by former Congress MLA Bhagvan D Barad who has moved the apex court against the Gujarat High Court's 27 March verdict dismissing his plea against the EC's notification.

The high court had also dismissed Barad's challenge to the Assembly Speaker's 5 March decision disqualifying him as an MLA following his conviction in a case for offence under Section 379 (punishment for theft) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Arguments

On Monday, the apex court expressed displeasure on how the EC had notified the Talala Assembly seat as vacant and announced the bypoll there when Barad's conviction was stayed by a Sessions court on 7 March.

“How can you (EC) declare the seat to be vacant on 10 March when his (Barad) conviction was stayed on 7 March,” the bench, which also comprised Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, asked the counsel appearing for the poll panel.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, told the bench that the Sessions court's 7 March order staying Barad's conviction in the case was quashed by the high court on 15 March.

Senior counsel AM Singhvi, appearing for the petitioner, told the court that the magisterial court's order convicting Barad was stayed by a Sessions court on 7 March but despite that the poll panel declared the Assembly seat as vacant and announced bypolls there.

When Mehta said his disqualification by the Speaker was in accordance with the existing law, the CJI observed that “the Speaker and Governor are there not to obstruct the law but to facilitate the law”.

Mehta then argued that the Sessions court’s order staying his conviction was set aside by the high court. To this, the bench said, “The high court order (setting aside the stay on conviction) came on 15 March then under what authority did the EC declare the seat to be vacant on 10 March.”

During the hearing, the bench also referred to section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 which deals with disqualification of lawmakers on conviction for certain offences.

At the fag end of hearing, Mehta said EC has declared bypolls in several Assembly constituencies.

"We do not have any problem with any other seat other than this (Talala) seat," the CJI said and stayed the EC's 10 March notification.

Barad’s Disqualification

Barad was convicted by a magisterial court on 1 March in the case and sentenced to two years and nine months jail along with a fine of Rs 2,500. On the same day, the magistrate had suspended the sentence and released him on bail.

Later, he challenged the order before a Sessions court which stayed his conviction on 7 March. However, on 5 March, the Speaker had disqualified Barad and notified the assembly seat as vacant.

In its 27 March order, a division bench of the high court had said that it would not interfere with the EC notification as Barad's conviction was not stayed and therefore, his disqualification remains.