K'taka rebel MLAs seek deferment of bypolls

Karnataka Congress-JD(S) disqualified MLAs on Friday approached the Supreme Court seeking deferment of state bypolls which are scheduled to take place on December 5.

The matter was mentioned before a two-judge bench headed by Justice S A Bobde by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who is representing the rebel legislators.

The bench asked Rohatgi to file the plea and said that they will later consider what to do.

Rohatgi said that filing for nomination for 15 assembly by-polls seats is set to begin from November 11 but the judgment against their disqualification is yet to be pronounced by the court.

In July earlier this year, 17 MLAs were disqualified and barred from contesting polls. It had led to the fall of the Congress-JD (S) coalition government in the state.

The elections to the 15 assembly by-polls seats were earlier slated for October 21 but later postponed to December 5 by the Election Commission (EC) as the case pertaining to the disqualification of 17 MLAs was pending in the Supreme Court.

The judgment on their disqualification was reserved by the apex court last month.