Dismissed Karnataka MLAs to miss Rajya Sabha vote on Hema Malini

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to restore the membership of five suspended Karnataka MLAs, thus disqualifying them from voting in the March 4 Rajya Sabha polls from the state being contested by actor Hema Malini.

A bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice Cyriac Joseph, however, issued notices to the assembly Speaker, who had disqualified the MLAs, and chief whip of state BJP. Last month, the HC upheld the disqualification of the MLAs on the ground they had rebelled against chief minister BS Yeddyurappa and reduced his government to a minority.

The ruling by a bench of Justice Mohan Shantangouder, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice AS Bopanna came as a morale booster for the beleaguered chief minister.  Four of the independents — D. Sudhakar, PM Narendra Swamy, Venkataramanappa and Shivaraj Tangadagi — were ministers at the time of the rebellion while, Gulihatti Shekar, had just been dropped from the ministry.