"Court Can't Intervene Just Yet," Says Rajasthan Speaker On Rebel Congress MLAs

The petition by Sachin Pilot and 18 other rebel Congress MLAs against disqualification notices cannot be decided by any court before the Speaker takes action, Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued during a hearing at the Rajasthan High Court today. "The rebels don't have grounds to question Speaker until the Speaker gives a decision. The Speaker and the assembly are not in the judicial purview of the court," said Mr Singhvi, representing Rajasthan Speaker CP Joshi, who has been taken to court over his notices to disqualify team Pilot for "anti-party activity". Last week, the Congress had told the court that no action would be taken against the rebels till Tuesday. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's meeting with Governor Kalraj Mishra on Saturday spurred talk of an assembly session and a possible vote this week.