SC notice to Nath, Speaker over BJP's trust vote plea

New Delhi: The ongoing political crisis in Madhya Pradesh continued on Tuesday as the Supreme Court asked the Kamal Nath-led Congress government to respond by Wednesday to a plea by senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking immediate floor test in the state Assembly.

Taking note of the "urgency of the situation", a bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta issued notices to Chief Minister Nath, Speaker N P Prajapati and Principal Secretary of the Assembly and listed the matter for hearing at 10.30 am on Wednesday.

Chouhan and nine BJP lawmakers, including the Leader of Opposition and BJP's Chief Whip in the Assembly, approached the Apex Court on Monday soon after the Speaker cited Coronavirus concerns and adjourned the House till March 26 without taking the floor test apparently defying the directions of Governor Lalji Tandon.

"We have heard Mukul Rohatgi, senior counsel, along with Saurabh Mishra, advocate-on-record appearing on behalf of the petitioners (Chouhan and others). Issue notice. In view of the urgency of the situation, the notice is made returnable at 10:30 am on March 18," the bench said in its order.