New Delhi: Maintaining that the then Karnataka Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar’s order disqualifying them was wrong, arbitrary and malafide, 15 disqualified MLAs from Congress and JD(S) moved Supreme Court yesterday challenging the Speaker’s decision. 

In a joint petition, disqualified Congress MLAs Pratap Gouda Patil, B.C. Patil, Shivaram Hebbar, S.T. Somashekar, Byrathi Basavaraj and Munirathna  contended that the Speaker’s order passed on July 28 was wholly illegal, arbitrary and malafide. 

Accusing the Speaker of arbitrarily rejecting their resignations, they contended that they had resigned on July 6, but the then Speaker Ramesh Kumar went on to disqualify them on the basis of ‘a wholly misconceived’ petition filed by the Congress party on July 10. 

Three JD(S) members A.H. Vishwanath, K. Gopalaiah and K.C. Narayana Gowda also filed separate writ petitions questioning the validity of the Speaker’s order to disqualify them. 

Similarly, other disqualified Congress MLAs Roshan Baig, Anand Singh, MTB Nagaraj, Dr. K. Sudhakar, Shrimanth Patil and R. Shankar also urged the Court to quash the order passed by the then Speaker. 

Two other rebel Congress legislators Ramesh Jharkiholi and Mahesh Kumatalli had also filed petitions against the order earlier.