SC rebukes EC order, declare bypoll in Gujarat's Talala assembly

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Election Commission's March 10 decision notifying Gujarat's Talala assembly constituency seat as vacant and declaring bypolls there along with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also issued a notice to the poll panel on a plea filed by former Congress MLA B D Barad, who had challenged his disqualification as an MLA and the subsequent EC's decision notifying the seat as vacant.

Barad has moved the apex court against the Gujarat High Court's March 27 verdict dismissing his petition against his disqualification as an MLA and also against the EC's decision notifying the bypolls there. Barad was disqualified as an MLA by the assembly speaker on March 5 following his conviction in a case.