HC asks Rajasthan Speaker not to take any action against Pilot camp till Tuesday 5 pm
Jaipur: Sachin Pilot and 18 other Congress dissident MLAs on Friday got a four-day reprieve from any action by the Assembly Speaker on the disqualification notices served on them, after the Rajasthan High Court extended its hearing on the issue to next week.
The division bench of the court, hearing the dissident MLAs' petition against the Speaker's notices, adjourned Friday evening. It fixed the next hearing for 10 am on Monday.
The counsel for the Speaker assured the court that no order shall be passed on the notice till 5.30 pm on Tuesday.
Earlier, Speaker C P Joshi had written to the court that the notices would not be acted upon till 5 pm on Friday. The counsel agreed to extend this to 5.30 pm on Tuesday as the court is yet to give an order on the petition.
Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi argued for the petitioners via video conference.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi was among those who argued on behalf of the Speaker.
"It was argued that Speaker's powers are autonomous and he has issued show-cause notices. The judiciary should not interfere till the order on the notices is passed. The argument by Singhvi will resume on Monday at 10 am, another counsel for the Speaker told reporters after the hearing.
The petition had challenged the notices based on a Congress complaint that the MLAs should be disqualified from the Rajasthan Assembly for defying a party whip.
The bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Prakash Gupta also asked Congress chief whip Mahesh Joshi, who had filed the complaint before the Speaker, to respond to the dissidents' petition by Saturday.
Joshi was impleaded in the petition today.
The Pilot camp has argued that a party whip applies only when the assembly is in session.
In its complaint to the Speaker, the Congress had sought action against Pilot and the other dissidents under paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
The provision disqualifies MLAs if they "voluntarily" give up the membership of the party which they represent in the House.
Congress claims that this is the inference that can be drawn from the MLAs' conduct. But the dissident camp says Pilot never indicated any intention to leave the party.
In the writ petition, the petitioners said that they have been elected on Congress ticket and have allegiance to the party and not seeking to defect to any other party.
"By way of the instant notice, the voice of the petitioners seeking a leadership change within the party, expressed in the most democratic manner, is sought to be stifled and the petitioners are threatened with the abdication of their right to express their reservations about the functioning of such leadership," the petition states.
"The undue haste and swiftness exhibited by the authority concerned in taking cognizance of the said complaint leaves no doubt in the minds of the petitioners that the move is aimed at arriving at a foregone conclusion leading to the disqualification of the petitioners," it added.
The petitioners said any grievances regarding the functioning of the government were not tolerated by the chief minister.
The dissidents said that sensing a brewing discontent, the chief minister had called a legislature party meeting on July 13 without providing any specific agenda and leveled certain baseless allegations against them.
Subsequently, they were issued notices by chief whip Mahesh Joshi for not attending the meeting, said the petition.
The petitioners also said that the chief minister ordered an inquiry by the Special Operations Group of the Rajasthan Police to investigate the petitioners which, they said, was no more than a ploy to threaten them and other MLAs against raising their voice against the inefficiency of the leadership within the party.
Pilot was sacked as deputy chief minister and the president of the state unit of the party after he rebelled against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
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Karnataka rolls out climate action plan to tackle global warming: Minister Khandre
Bengaluru (PTI): Minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday said that a Karnataka state action plan on climate change has been formulated to mitigate the impact of global warming and climate change, and directions have been issued to ensure its proper implementation.
Speaking after presiding over a seminar on extreme heat and its impact on Bengaluru, organised by the Karnataka Media Academy, he said the Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), which comes under the environment department, has taken steps to implement the action plan in coordination with various state government departments.
He said training programmes are being organised in cooperation with zilla panchayat offices for district officials and other related institutions regarding the implementation and progress of the Karnataka state action plan on climate change.
The Forest, Ecology and Environment minister said such programmes will be conducted in all 31 districts of Karnataka.
According to a statement issued by the minister’s office, in terms of climate resilience, Khandre said a dedicated radio programme, “Havamaana Mitra” (weather friend), was launched in April 2025 to share information on best practices, and 24 programmes have so far been broadcast on Akashvani.
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He said these efforts aim to create public awareness.
Khandre emphasised that due to global warming and climate change, even seasons are changing today.
“Keeping this in mind, after becoming Forest Minister, I have been making every effort to increase green cover, especially in Bengaluru city,” he said.
He noted that during the last three years, about 11 crore saplings have been planted in the state, and information on their survival rate has been made available on the Forest Department website.
According to him, encroachments on about 250 acres of forest land worth around Rs 10,000 crore in several parts of Bengaluru, including Kothanur, Kadugodi, B M Kaval, and Turahalli, have been cleared.
Thousands of saplings have been planted and groves created on the cleared land, thereby preserving lung spaces essential for Bengaluru city.
The minister also recalled that more than 400 acres of forest land in Peenya plantation had earlier been allotted to the central government-owned HMT for industrial purposes.
He said HMT had sold 160 acres of this land, while 280 acres remain, and a decision has been taken to reclaim it for the department to preserve an essential lung space for Bengaluru. A legal battle is underway, and the case is currently in the Supreme Court.
In addition, he said 444 acres in the Jarakabande area had been allotted to the Indian Air Force. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, forest land cannot be diverted without due process. Hence, in 2017, the then Deputy Commissioner cancelled the land allotment.
“Steps are now being taken to reclaim this forest land and preserve the green space,” he said.
Khandre also highlighted that the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Gantiganahalli, where the international air show is held once every two years in Bengaluru, is on forest land.
He said 159 acres in Gantiganahalli village is classified as a reserved forest area.
“If the Air Force submits a proposal for diversion and provides alternative land, this area may be considered for transfer; otherwise, steps will be taken to reclaim it for the forest department,” he said.
“The Indian Air Force is presently using this area as a runway. However, the RTC and mutation records are in the name of the Forest Department, and the land has not been legally converted. Hence, this forest land will be reclaimed,” he said.
He added that the government has resolved to construct a major biological park on 153 acres at Madappanahalli in Bengaluru North taluk, and cabinet approval has been obtained.
“The CM will lay the foundation stone next month. This will be the largest park after Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. It would not be incorrect to call this an achievement of the century,” he said.
