The Supreme Court will hear a plea by six rebel Congress MLAs from Himachal Pradesh against their disqualification on March 12. Disqualified by Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania for defying the party whip during Rajya Sabha polls, they abstained from voting on the budget. The MLAs, including Abhishek Singhvi, challenge the Speaker’s decision, citing lack of opportunity to respond. This marks the state’s first disqualification under anti-defection laws, reducing House strength from 68 to 62 and Congress MLAs from 40 to 34. The Speaker’s swift judgment aimed to maintain democratic integrity, unrelated to the MLAs’ cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls.