Rajasthan Min reiterates demand for Assembly session, ready for COVID-19 testing of MLAs

Reiterating the demand for convening a special Assembly session, Rajasthan Minister Raghu Sharma on Friday expressed his government's willingness to get all 200 MLAs tested for COVID-19. He was reacting to some reports which suggested that Governor Kalraj Mishra had ruled against conducting the Assembly session owing to the novel coronavirus cases. On July 23, 886 new COVID-19 positive cases and 11 deaths were reported in the state till 8.30 pm. The total number of cases stands at 33,220 including 8811 active cases and 594 deaths.

Read: Congress Govt Caused Chaos, Instability In State: Rajasthan BJP Chief

Meanwhile, sources in the Rajasthan Governor's Office informed Republic TV that CM Ashok Gehlot had asked for a special Assembly session to be convened on the morning of July 27. Maintaining that a discussion was held between the Governor and the CM, sources added that the former was seeking legal opinion on the issue. Gehlot's file shall be returned on Friday, sources observed. 

Rajasthan HC delivers verdict

Earlier in the day, a division bench of the Rajasthan HC comprising Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Prakash Gupta ordered a "status quo" on the Assembly Speaker's show cause notices issued to sacked Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs. Ruling that the writ petition is maintainable, it agreed to examine three prayers of the Pilot camp- to declare clause 2(1)(a) of the 10th schedule to be violative of the basic structure of the Constitution, to set aside the show cause notice issued by the Speaker and to declare clause 2(1)(a) of the 10th schedule read with Article 191 of the Constitution ultra virus. However, the HC rejected the petitioners' plea to declare that their actions do not come under the purview of disqualification and to uphold their status as members of the Rajasthan Assembly. Essentially, the Speaker has been barred from taking any coercive action against the Pilot camp until the HC concludes hearing the matter. 

Read: Congress Has Become A 'Twitter Party', Says Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Gehlot warns Governor

Hours after the HC verdict, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot accused Governor Kalraj Mishra of being under pressure from "powers above" to not call the Assembly session. Mentioning that he had written to Mishra regarding this on Thursday itself, Gehlot lamented that the latter had not acted yet. He exuded confidence that Congress and its allies have a majority in the Assembly.

Moreover, he alleged that a section of the legislators allegedly holed up in a resort in Haryana were anxious to return to the party fold. Additionally, the Rajasthan CM warned the Governor that his government would not be responsible if the people of the state gheraod the Raj Bhavan on not receiving justice. Currently, Gehlot and his MLAs are enroute to the Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor for convincing him to convene the Assembly session. 

Read: Rajasthan Govt Crisis LIVE Updates: HC Blow To Speaker; Gehlot Demands Assembly Session

Read: Rajasthan HC Impleads Centre In Pilot's Plea; Orders Status Quo On Speaker's Action