Congress Expels 14 ex-MLAs for 'Rebellion' After Fall of HDK Government

New Delhi: The Congress party on Tuesday expelled 14 of the Karnataka's former MLAs, who rebelled against the coalition government.

The move comes two days after then Assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Sunday disqualified the legislators under the anti-defection law till the end of the Assembly term in 2023, a day ahead of chief minister BS Yediyurappa seeking the trust vote in the assembly to prove his majority.

The expelled who were MLAs for anti-party activities are Pratap Gowda Patil, B C Patil, Shivram Hebbar, ST Somashekar, Byrati Basavaraj, Anand Singh, Roshan Baig, Munirathna, K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj, Shrimant Patil, Ramesh Jarakiholi and Mahesh Kumathalli and R Shankar.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi in its order on Wednesday last gave the Assembly Speaker the freedom to decide on the resignation of the 15 MLAs within such time-frame as considered appropriate by him. It had also ruled that the rebel MLAs cannot be compelled to attend the assembly proceedings.