BENGALURU: Karnataka assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Thursday disqualified three of the 17 rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs under the anti-defection law while keeping the remaining 14 cases pending. The three - all believed to be ministerial aspirants in the event of BJP forming the next government - cease to be MLAs with immediate effect and are barred from contesting elections till 2023.The unexpected announcement late on Thursday evening added to the ongoing political uncertainty in the state, with BS Yeddyurappa-led BJP yet to meet the governor to stake claim to form the government. The all-important go-ahead from the BJP central leadership hadn't come till late in the night.The speaker announced at a press conference his decision to disqualify Congress MLAs Ramesh L Jarkiholi and Mahesh Kumathahalli, and Karnataka Prajakiya Janata Party legislator R Shankar, who had recently joined Congress before his induction as minister in the HD Kumaraswamy government. They have been disqualified under Schedule 10 of the Constitution till May 23, 2023, when the tenure of the present assembly ends.The matter is now expected to shift to the Supreme Court once again as the disqualified MLAs may move the apex court on Friday against the speaker's order. With the disqualifications, the strength of the assembly is now 222 and the magic number is 112, leaving the 105-member BJP short of seven votes.Ihave examined the resignations and I found that they are not voluntary in nature. Hence, they are punished for the rest of their term in the House," Kumar said in response to a question, pointing out that disqualification amounted to admonishment. "The three disqualified MLAs cannot contest assembly elections till such time (the tenure of the assembly)."Kumar, however, added that the Election Commission would take a final call on the tenure of disqualification after a petition is moved by Congress. BJP leaders, on the other hand, referred to then Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat's statement in 2018 and said there was no bar on disqualified legislators entering the fray as and when byelections are held. They cited a case pertaining to disqualified AIADMK MLAs in Tamil Nadu.Explaining the reason behind disqualifying Shankar, Kumar said he had merged his KPJP with Congress and later extended support to BJP while submitting his resignation to the governor as minister. CLP leader Siddaramaiah and Congress president Dinesh Gundurao had filed a complaint to the speaker against him.Jarkiholi and Kumatahalli were disqualified on the basis of a petition moved by Siddaramaiah and Gundurao in February this year for violating a whip and skipping a legislature party meeting. "There were also inconsistencies in their statements after submitting their resignations," Kumar said."Now that the speaker, who is quasi-tribunal, has given his verdict, it up to the court to review his order. The disqualified members are allowed to move court against the decision and the court's order is going to be final," said Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C Kashyap. All eyes are now on what call the speaker takes on the pending resignations.