Disqualified AAP MLAs move Delhi HC (Lead)

New Delhi Jan 23 (IANS) A number of disqualified AAP MLAs on Tuesday moved the Delhi High Court challenging a notification disqualifying them on the ground of holding office of profit as Parliamentary Secretaries.

The Aam Aadmi Party MLAs mentioned the matter before a Division Bench headed by Justice S. Ravinder Bhat seeking quashing of the notification and got it listed for hearing on Wednesday.

Earlier the Election Commission had recommended to President Ram Nath Kovind to disqualify 20 AAP legislators for allegedly holding office of profit.

The move came after the AAP MLAs withdrew on Monday an earlier plea in the High Court which sought a stay on the poll panel s recommendation to the President.

On Friday the Election Commission made the recommendation since approved by the President for the disqualification.

On Saturday the Law and Justice Ministry issued a notification that the President held that the 20 MLAs stand disqualified under Section 15(1)(a) of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) Act.

The MLAs are Alka Lamba Adarsh Shastri Sanjeev Jha Rajesh Gupta Kailash Gahlot Vijendra Garg Praveen Kumar Sharad Kumar Madan Lal Khufiya Shiv Charan Goyal Sarita Singh Naresh Yadav Rajesh Rishi Anil Kumar Som Dutt Avtar Singh Sukhvir Singh Dala Manoj Kumar Nitin Tyagi and Jarnail Singh.

--IANS
gt/mr