Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur, on Tuesday, dismissed a petition filed on the appointment of MLAs as ministers even after they were disqualified under the anti-defection law.
Chhindwara-based advocate Anuradha Bhargava had filed a petition over the appointment of 14 MLAs who were disqualified but made ministers. According to the petition, their appointment incurred a financial burden on the state exchequer in pandemic times, so, it would have been better to appoint those MLAs who were well-qualified within the party.
Advocate Anuradha Bhargava, petitioner, said, “The HC rejected my petition. I had raised the issue that those 14 MLAs who were disqualified after switching over from the Congress to the BJP were appointed as ministers. I raised the point that the state government should have appointed those MLAs who were qualified as ministers. It was an unnecessary financial burden on the state exchequer when disqualified MLAs were appointed ministers in pandemic times.”
Advocate Dinesh Upadhyaya, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, said, “The HC observed that, the when the petition was filed, the point was well justified. But now, the by-elections are over and the MLAs who were disqualified have now been re-elected. So, they are now qualified and, under such circumstances, the issue doesn’t have any importance.”
