NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed declaration of results of Bihar legislative council byelection, which was conducted to fill the vacancy arising in the wake of the expulsion of RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh, till it decides the plea of the politician challenging his removal.
A bench of justices Surya Kant and N K Singh passed the interim order on Singh’s plea challenging his expulsion last July for allegedly using defamatory words against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. “Meanwhile, the result of the byelection in the state legislative council in respect of vacancy by removal of petitioner shall not be declared,” the court said.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the RJD functionary, told the bench that the decision to expel him was a drastic measure, as the MLC calling Nitish ‘Paltu Ram (turncoat)’ was not such a serious transgression to justify permanent expulsion. Singhvi said all newspapers and TV channels used the same terminology for the CM and proceeding against him was conducted in violation of principles of natural justice as due procedure was not followed.
Pressing for an interim order, Singhvi said that the petitioner had approached the court without delay and notice was issued on his petition on Aug 30, 2024 and re-election was notified on Dec 30. He informed the court that the result of the byelection was scheduled to be announced on Jan 16. Allowing his plea, the court passed the interim order. The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Thursday.
