Delhi HC Denies Interim Stay on Sharad Yadav’s Disqualification

Justice Bakhru, however, allowed Yadav to draw allowances, perks and retain his bungalow as an MP.

File photo of rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav. 

(Photo: PTI)

The Delhi High Court on 15 December, Friday refused to pass an interim order on a plea for a stay on former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav's disqualification as a Rajya Sabha member, reports PTI.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru, however, allowed Yadav to draw allowances, perks and retain his bungalow as an MP, but restrained him from attending the Winter Session of Parliament.

The session, which started on Friday, is scheduled to go on till 5 January.

The court also sought the response of the Rajya Sabha chairman besides member Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, who is leader of the JD(U) in the Upper House, on Yadav's plea challenging the 4 December order of the chairman disqualifying him as an MP, news agency PTI reported.

The court has fixed the main petition for hearing on 1 March next year. 

The order came on Yadav's plea challenging his disqualification on several grounds, including that he was not given a hearing before the 4 December order was passed.

Yadav had sought interim relief to attend the Parliament session.

The former JD(U) president was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times and the Rajya Sabha four times in the past.

Following his disqualification, he said:

I was not shocked that I have been disqualified… I was expecting the same outcome.

He was elected to the House last year and his term was scheduled to end in 2022. The term of Anwar, the other party leader who was expelled, is expected to expire in early 2018.

The leaders were expelled after the Election Commission, in October 2017, recognised the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) faction as the real party and granted it the ‘arrow’ symbol.