Office of profit: Delhi High Court asks Election Commission not to make bypoll announcement until January 29

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to pass any interim order on staying the Centre's notification disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs in 'Office of Profit' case.

The court also asked the Election Commission not to make any announcement regarding bypolls in Delhi until January 29, the next date of hearing in the case.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led party had on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking to quash the disqualification of its MLAs accused of holding the ‘office of profit’.

Earlier, on January 19, the poll panel had made the recommendation for the disqualification of the 20 legislators, which was given assent by the President. 

On January 20, the Ministry of Law and Justice 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 EC had made the recommendation while deciding a plea by advocate Prashant Patel, who had sought disqualification of 21 AAP MLAs for holding the office of parliamentary secretaries, which he had said amounted to the office of profit. 

The proceedings against Jarnail Singh were dropped after he resigned as the Rajouri Garden MLA to contest the Punjab Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that the Election Commission is acting on behalf of the BJP in a blatant misuse of power.

They say that the Election Commission ignored the legislators' right and request to present their cases. The Election Commission, on the other hand, says that AAP skipped several chances to defend itself.

The party insists that its legislators drew no salary or perks as parliamentary secretaries and so there is no question of their having held offices of profit.

Addressing a press conference senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha said that AAP MLAs have presented their points in court that how this one-sided and illegal decision has taken.

High court reviewed it and issued a notice to EC and Indian government also restricted EC to impose any kind of by election or election on Delhi people.