SC allows rebel JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav to retain his official bungalow, nixes other perks

The Supreme Court on Thursday modified the Delhi High Court order by stopping salary and allowances of former Janata Dal (U) president and rebel MP Sharad Yadav till the pendency of his plea challenging his disqualification from the Rajya Sabha.

A vacation bench of Justices A K Goel and Ashok Bhushan, however, allowed him to retain his official bungalow, as ordered by the high court on December 15 last year.

The apex court's decision came on a plea by JD (U)'s Rajya Sabha MP Ramchandra Prasad Singh challenging the Delhi High Court's interim order which had allowed Yadav to retain his official residence in New Delhi and draw his salary, allowances and perks.

The High Court, however, had refused to grant interim stay on his disqualification as a Rajya Sabha MP.

The interim order of the high court had come on Yadav's plea challenging his disqualification on several grounds, including that he was not given any chance to present his case by the Rajya Sabha chairman before passing an order against him and his colleague and then MP Ali Anwar on December 4, 2017.

On May 18, the top court had agreed to hear the appeal by Singh and issued a notice to Yadav.

Singh had sought the disqualification of Yadav and Anwar on the grounds that they had attended a rally of opposition parties in Patna in violation of the party's directives.

Yadav had joined hands with the opposition after JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumped the grand alliance with the RJD and the Congress in Bihar and tied up with the BJP in July last year.

Yadav was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 and his term was scheduled to end in July 2022. Anwar's term as a Rajya Sabha MP expired in April. Both were disqualified under the anti-defection law.