Rajasthan HC to take up Sachin Pilot's plea against disqualification today

Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident leaders on Thursday moved the high court, challenging the notices from the Rajasthan Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the state Assembly.

A division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court will hear Friday afternoon an amended petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident leaders, challenging the notices from the Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the state Assembly.

A division Bench was earlier expected to hear the petition at 7.30 pm but the matter was put off till 1 pm Friday.

The petition first came up before Justice Satish Chandra Sharma at 3 pm. But advocate Harish Salve sought time to file a fresh petition.

The matter was heard again at about 5 pm when the judge referred the fresh petition to a division Bench.

The counsel to Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi earlier said the court had asked the advocates to appear again before it at 7.30 pm.

But the court did not assemble for the hearing, which was put off.

The postponement is a matter of concern for the dissident camp led by Pilot.

The notices say Speaker C P Joshi will take up the complaint filed against them by the Congress chief whip at 1 pm Friday, the time set by the high court for hearing their petition.

In the 200-member Assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72.

In the past, the ruling party has claimed the support of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP), and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).