The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to present reasons for its decision to disqualify 20 AAP MLAs for holding offices of profit.

A Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Chander Shekhar asked the poll panel to file an affidavit after the ECI said it wanted to respond to some allegations made by the disqualified MLAs. After a brief hearing, the High Court listed the case for further hearing on February 7, by when the MLAs have to file their responses to the EC affidavit.

The court also extended the interim order restraining the poll panel from issuing any notification announcing byelections to fill the vacancies of the 20 Assembly seats whose legislators have been disqualified.

The disqualified legislators have, in their petitions, contended that there was “gross and serious” violation of principle of natural justice as they were not given a hearing before the ECI formed its opinion.

They also said the poll panel had proceeded with forming opinion against them despite a case pending at the High Court challenging the same.

The AAP government appointed the parliamentary secretaries after coming to power in March 2015.