Indian Supreme Court orders floor test in Karnataka

Friday, 18 May 2018 - 12:27

Indian+Supreme+Court+orders+floor+test+in+Karnataka
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that a floor test is held in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 pm tomorrow (May 19) to ascertain whether newly appointed BJP chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa enjoys a majority in the state.
 
“Let the House decide and the best course would be floor test,” a three-judge bench headed by Justice A.K. Sikri said. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the chief minister, had sought reasonable time till Monday for the floor test but the bench, also comprising Justices S.A. Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, ordered it for tomorrow (May 19).
 
The Supreme Court’s order came after Yeddyurappa placed before the Supreme Court letters he had sent to Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala in which he had staked claim to form the government in Karnataka.
 
Yeddyurappa, who was sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka yesterday, told the Supreme Court that is the single largest party after the Karnataka election results, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was the “mandate of people” of the state who have thrown out the Congress.
 
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Yeddyurappa, told the bench that there was no pre-poll alliance between the Congress and JD (S) and they have formed an “unholy alliance” after the elections.
 
The apex court is hearing a petition moved by the Congress JD(S) alliance challenging the governor’s decision to invite the BJP to form a government.
 
“The single largest party (BJP) is the mandate of people of Karnataka who have thrown out the ruling party. The ruling party has much fewer members than us. There was no pre-poll alliance. It (Congress-JD(S)) is an unholy alliance,” Rohatgi said.
 
At the outset, the bench asked the Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, “Have you brought those letters (sent to the governor by Yeddyurappa)?” Venugopal told the bench that Yeddyurappa was being represented by Rohatgi, who placed the letters before the bench.
 
The bench directed Rohatgi to give the copies of the letters to the counsel appearing for Congress-JD(S) alliance. Rohatgi, while reading out the operative part of the 16 May letter sent by Yeddyurappa to the Governor, said the BJP leader had said in the letter that the party has emerged as the single largest party in the state and they were willing to form the government.
 
He also referred to the letter written by Yeddyurappa and said that the BJP leader had requested the governor to invite the party to form a government and had also said that they would provide a “stable government” and have the “support of others”.
 
In a historic post-midnight hearing, the Supreme had on Thursday cleared the last-minute hurdle created by the Congress-JD(S) alliance for the BJP’s ambitious surge in South India by paving the way for Yeddyurappa to be sworn in as the chief minister of Karnataka.
 
A specially constituted three-judge bench, after more than three hours of the hearing, had made it clear that it was not interfering with the governor’s decision to invite the BJP to form a government in the state in which BJP with 104 seats has emerged as the single largest party.
 
During the hearing that lasted from 2.11 am to 5.28 am, the top court had made it clear that the swearing-in and government formation would be subject to the final outcome of the case.
 
The court had directed the center to place before it two communications sent by Yeddyurappa to the governor in which he had staked claim to form a government, saying their perusal was necessary to decide the case.
 
(Live Mint)


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