Siddaramaiah welcomed the Supreme Court's verdict (File)
Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on the disqualified MLAs, the Congress in Karnataka on Wednesday said it proves the BJP-led government in the state was "illegal" and sought its dismissal.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the disqualification of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs by the then Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar but allowed them to contest the December 5 bypolls in the state.
It struck down the portion of the order of then Speaker by which the legislators were disqualified till the end of the 15th Karnataka Assembly in 2023.
While KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao asked BJP not to give tickets to the disqualified legislators to contest polls if it has "any morality left," CLP leader Siddaramaiah said the verdict was a lesson to defectors to whom people would teach a lesson in the December 5 bypolls.
"Supreme Court has partially upheld the then Speaker Ramesh Kumar's decision. I welcome the verdict," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, the court's stand was that defecting was "immoral" and "violation of trust of the voter".
"The judgment is a lesson to MLAs, who wanted to resign and join other party according to human fancy or by the influence of other parties- it is not correct is what court has said," he added.
Observing that he welcomes the court judgement in its entirety that includes allowing disqualified to contest polls, Siddaramaiah said people would have to understand that they have been disqualified as they indulged in defection, and the court has not accepted it.
"It is a lesson to those who want to cross over to other parties. Court has not accepted it, people will also not accept it and see to that they are defeated in the bypolls, as it happened in Maharashtra and Gujarat," he added.