A Government of India notification on Sunday, 21 January, said that President Kovind has approved the EC recommendation to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs from the Delhi Assembly. The notification said that the MLAs were found guilty of holding “office of profit” despite being elected representatives.
The case of disqualification of AAP MLAs is up for hearing at the Delhi High Court on Monday, 22 January.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with the 20 MLAs at his residence on Saturday, 20 January.
The Election Commission had on Friday, 19 January, asked President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs, alleging that they had held ‘office of profit’.
- A government notification on Sunday said that 20 MLAs were disqualified
- Election Commission on Friday asked President Kovind to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs for being parliamentary secretaries
- Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief to the 20 AAP MLAs in the ‘office of profit’ case on Friday
- AAP President and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting with the disqualified MLAs at is residence on Saturday
- “They have filed false cases against the 20 MLAs of AAP,” Kejriwal said
AAP Withdraws Plea Seeking Stay On Disqualification
The 20 MLAs, whose appointment as parliamentary secretaries was questioned, told the High Court that they would move fresh petitions against the taking away of their assembly seats as their pleas had become infructuous after President Ram Nath Kovind put a stamp of approval on the EC's recommendation.
Justice Rekha Palli allowed the MLAs to withdraw their plea, terming it "dismissed as withdrawn".
Advocate Manish Vashisht, appearing for one of the AAP MLAs, told the court that a notification has been issued on 20 January by the government after the President accepted the poll panel's recommendation.
'President's Order Tughluqshahi of the Worst Order': Yashwant Sinha
Interestingly, BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha have also backed the AAP with the former saying the decision depicts "tughluqshahi" of the worst order.
Shatrughan Sinha said the "politics of vendetta" against the AAP would not last long.
AAP leader Ashutosh also asserted that the president's order is "unconstitutional" and "dangerous for democracy."
Kejriwal Says "False Case" Against His MLAs
Addressing an audience in Najafgarh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that “false cases” have been registered against his party MLAs.
They have filed false cases against the 20 MLAs of AAP. They got CBI raid done at my office, but after a 24-hour search they only found my four mufflers. In the whole country, they have only found Kejriwal corrupt and everyone else honest... The L-G had called 400 files of our government (pertaining to decisions taken in two years), but when they did not find anything against us... they today disqualified our 20 MLAs.Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
Kejriwal also took to Twitter to react to the development, saying, "There was some logic when God gave us 67 seats. The Almighty stood behind us in our every step. Otherwise we would have been nothing... Just don't stray away from the path of truth."
"President's Decision Taken In Haste": Disqualified AAP MLA Lamba
AAP MLA Alka Lamba who was one of the disqualified 20 MLAs accused the Centre of influencing constitutional institutions.
Unfortunate that the President took the decision in such haste, without giving us chance to speak. It’s an act of Centre using constitutional institutions. We’ve trust on judiciary. Doors of the High Court and Supreme Court are open for us.Alka Lamba