The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Election Commission’s notification declaring a vacancy in Talala Assembly seat of Gujarat and the announcement of a bye-election along with the Lok Sabha elections, PTI reported.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to the Election Commission on a petition filed by disqualified Congress MLA BD Barad. Barad had challenged his disqualification and the poll body’s subsequent decision to notify the seat as vacant.

A court in Gujarat had convicted Barad in an illegal mining case and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment, according to ANI. The Gujarat Assembly Speaker had disqualified Barad on March 5, following which the Election Commission issued a notification on March 10 declaring a bye-poll for the seat.

Barad had moved the Supreme Court against a March 27 order of the Gujarat High Court that had dismissed his plea against his disqualification and against the poll panel’s decision to declare a bye-election.