The Rajasthan High Court has quashed an FIR filed in 2017 at Churu Kotwali related to a 2013 television interview featuring Salman Khan and Shilpa Shetty. The FIR accused the actress of using the word "Bhangi," allegedly offending the Valmiki community.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra issued the notice to the petitioners before the Rajasthan High Court and tagged the transfer petitions with the already pending matters in the issue.
The court gave the speaker and his secretary three weeks’ time to reply to the notice.
The six MLAs were initially with the BSP but later switched to Congress. The Assembly Speaker declared them members of Congress.
Earlier on Monday, Speaker CP Joshi had dropped his plea in the Supreme Court, against the High Court order asking him to defer his decision on disqualification notices issued to former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and 18 rebel Congress MLAs.
Rajasthan Speaker's counsel, Kapil Sibal, told the top court that the High Court had passed a fresh order on July 24 which raised several other issues including interpretation of the 10th Schedule and added that the Congress government will weigh the legal options.
Since the Governor has not responded to the plea, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he and the Congress MLAs supporting him will directly make a collective request.
In a petition filed on Wednesday, Congress MLA Prithviraj Meena sought the Centre to be impleaded in the ongoing case filed by the Pilot camp challenging Para 2 (1) (a) of the Schedule X of the Constitution.
Speaker Joshi had told the Supreme Court that the Rajasthan High Court cannot restrain him from initiating disqualification proceedings against Sachin Pilot and the dissident legislators till July 24.
The plea contended that the High Court has intervened in the pending Tenth Schedule proceedings at the initial notice stage and restrained the Speaker from even calling for replies and conducting the disqualification proceedings pending against the rebel MLAs till July 24.
