SC bars declaration of Bihar legislative council by-poll result

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a stay on the declaration of the Bihar Legislative Council by-election result for the seat previously held by expelled RJD leader Sunil Kumar Singh.

Singh, who was expelled from the Bihar Legislative Council on July 26, 2024, due to unruly behavior in the House, had been involved in a heated exchange with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during a session on February 13, 2024. Singh was accused of sloganeering against Kumar and later charged with mimicking the Chief Minister’s body language and questioning the competence of the ethics committee.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Singh, informed the bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh that the by-election result was expected to be announced on January 16, as the election was uncontested. However, Singhvi argued that the result should not be declared while the court was hearing his plea against Singh's expulsion.

The bench, which is hearing Singh's petition since August 2024, agreed to delay the result, stating that it would hear responses from the state legislative council, the ethics committee, and other involved parties on January 16, before reserving judgment on the matter.

In 2024, the Bihar Legislative Council passed a motion expelling Singh following a voice vote, a day after the ethics committee submitted its report, detailing Singh's disruptive conduct. On the same day, RJD MLC Mohd Qari Sohaib was suspended for two days after engaging in similar behavior. Sohaib, however, expressed regret for his actions, while Singh remained defiant.

With PTI inputs