Speaker N. Manohar today served notices on the 16 rebel congress MLAs for defying whip during the voting on no-confidence motion. He has earlier served notices on the lone PRP member Sobha Nagi Reddy for defying the whip issued by the PRP leadership.

Manohar sought written replies from the rebel MLAs to his notices on or before Dec 29.

Meanwhile, Sobha Nagi Reddy met the speaker in his chambers today and argued that PRP leadership was not authorized to complain against her as the party has been already merged with the congress.

However, PRP leadership argues that the merger has not been completed in the assembly and she must be disqualified since she remained a PRP member at the time of voting on the no confidence motion.

The Speaker asked her to appear before him again on Dec 27 with her lawyer. Manohar is expected to take a decision on her only after that.

After the congress leadership lodged a complaint against the MLAs on their defiance of whip, Manohar paid a trip to Delhi and met with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari and acquainted himself with the procedures and rules applied on disqualification of some MPs during the tenure of CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee as Speaker.  (JUBS)