2010 which ensured survival of the then Yeddyurappa government.

Eleven rebel BJP MLAs and five Independent ones were disqualified by Bopaiah on the eve of the voting on a no-trust motion against the then chief minister Yeddyurappa. The 16 MLAs had withdrawn their support to the government on 6 October, 2010, and were suspended on 11 October, 2010.

A bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir, while quashing the speaker’s decision, said basic constitutional values and principles of natural justice were not observed by Bopaiah in disqualifying the 11 rebel BJP and five Independent legislators.

"The procedure adopted by the speaker seems to indicate that he was trying to meet the time schedule set by the governor for the trial of strength in the Assembly and to ensure that the appellants andquestions of constitutional and administrative laws of public importance having serious implications for the democratic representative government and involving an interpretation of the provisions of the Tenth Schedule and the rules made there-under.

The legislators submitted that they made a categorical statement in their replies to the show-cause notice issued by the speaker before their suspension that they had no intention at all to leave BJP or the membership of its legislature party and that their letter to the governor was aimed at “cleansing the image of the party by getting rid of Yeddyurappa as chief minister”.

With inputs from PTI

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