Karnataka: Pro-tem Speaker stays, SC orders live telecast of trust vote
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Saturday morning rejected the Congress-JD(S) plea which challenged the appointment of pro-tem Speaker K G Bopaiah to oversee Karnataka Assembly's trust vote in the evening.
The apex court ruled K G Bopaiah would continue to be the pro-tem Speaker for today's floor test at 4 pm.
The Supreme Court also ordered live streaming of the floor test at Karnataka Assembly where Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has to prove his majority in the House.
The SC also said that no other item in agenda should be taken up during the trust vote.
"Live broadcast of the floor test will be the best possible way to ensure transparency in the proceedings," a bench comprising justices A K Sikri, S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan said.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress said, "The most important objective of our plea was to establish transparency. Since live feed of proceedings would be broadcast, we hope and trust there will be fairness. I have no doubt the Congress and JD(S) will emerge victorious."
Bopaiah, who is known to be close to Yeddyurappa, had in 2010 disqualified 11 BJP lawmakers when they revolted after Yeddy was charged in a mining scam.
This disqualification helped the Yeddyurappa-led BJP government survive a trust vote. The decision was later cancelled by the Supreme Court. The apex court said Bopaiah had not been fair.
The BJP has 104 MLAs, 8 short of a simple majority to form government.
The Congress-JD(S)’ post-poll alliance has 116, 78 of the Congress and 38 of the JD(S).
Ever since Karnataka threw up a fractured verdict on May 15, it has been nothing short of drama and intrigue in the state with allegations flying thick that the BJP was trying to poach MLAs from to get to the magic figure of 112.
Much to the indignation of the Congress-JD(S), Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala – a former BJP minister in Gujarat -- had invited B S Yeddyurappa to form the government, a day after the elections. He had given Yeddyurappa a 15-day window to prove majority. This was brutally cut short yesterday after the Supreme Court – on a Congress appeal – ruled that he had to prove majority by 4 pm, Saturday.
The Governor yesterday picked another Yeddyurappa loyalist K G Bopaiah as pro-tem Speaker to oversee trust vote. The Congress had unsuccessfully moved court against that too, but had to be satisfied with the fact that the trust vote would be live-cast for transparency.
