I go by the rule book: Speaker Ramesh Kumar

Bengaluru: Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar, against whom 15 ruling coalition rebel MLAs have moved the Supreme Court alleging delay in accepting their resignations, Tuesday, said he is working in accordance with the Constitution and was performing his duty.

The apex court will pronounce its order Wednesday morning on the pleas of 15 rebel Congress-JD(S) MLAs seeking direction for Kumar to accept their resignations from the Assembly.

“Ultimately, what the Supreme Court will come out (its verdict), after going through that, I will respond,” Kumar told reporters in Kolar district. Stating that he was working in accordance with the Constitution, he said, “I don't have freedom to comment on all other matters being the Speaker.”

“I am not someone who is going to challenge...I will only perform my duty.. every one will have to wait till tomorrow,” he added.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi concluded the hearings of the rebel MLAs, the speaker and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Tuesday. The order from the Supreme Court will come a day before the tottering Congress-JD(S) government faces the floor test in the assembly, which would end suspense over the numbers game triggered by a raft of resignations by the ruling coalition lawmakers.

As many as 16 MLAs -- 13 from the Congress and threefrom the JD(S) -- have resigned while two independent MLAs S Shankar and H Nagesh have withdrawn their support to the coalition government, keeping it on the edge.