New Delhi/ Bengaluru: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly at 4 pm on Saturday, reducing the 15-day window given by Governor Vajubhai Vala to BJP Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to prove his majority. "Let the House decide and the best course would be floor test," a three-judge bench headed by Justice A K Sikri said. The top court said that the Pro tem speaker will take decisions in accordance with the law on the issue of floor test. The apex court also directed the Karnataka government and Governor not to nominate any MLA from the Anglo-Indian community to participate in Saturday's floor test. In addition, the Bench asked the new government not to take any major policy decision till it proves its majority in the House.
It also ordered the authorities, including the DGP, to ensure law and order outside the Karnataka Assembly. The apex court made it clear that it would deal with the constitutionality of the Governor's letter inviting Yeddyurappa to form the government later.
Welcoming the Supreme Court order, the Congress said that the Constitution had won and democracy had been restored. Congress communications In-Charge Randeep Surjewala said that the Constitution has rejected the "unconstitutional" decision of the Karnataka Governor.
"Constitution wins, Democracy restored! B S Yeddyurappa does remain a 1-day CM -- Constitution rejects an illegitimate CM as also the unconstitutional decision of Governor of Karnataka (sic)," he said on Twitter.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who represented the Congress-JD (S) combine in the apex court, termed the Supreme Court's decision "historic", and said, "Interim Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has been restrained from taking policy decisions till Saturday."
The BJP, on its part, hit out at the Congress, saying that the party's "double standards" towards the Judiciary have been exposed as it was now praising the Supreme Court after insulting it and also attempting to impeach the Chief Justice of India (CJI). "The party that had tried to impeach the CJI is now all praises for him and its leader Rahul Gandhi, who is praising the Supreme Court today, used Pakistan as an analogy yesterday," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here.
"The real face of the Congress is exposed today. It insulted the apex court over the Justice Loya case, and is now praising them. This shows the hypocrisy and double standards of the Congress towards the judiciary and its selective approach," Patra added.
The SC Bench said that, ultimately, the question is about the majority, which has to be proved in the floor test. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Chief Minister Yeddyurappa, had sought time till Monday for the floor test but the Bench, also comprising Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan, ordered for Saturday.
The Supreme Court also turned down Yeddyurappa's request for a secret ballot during the floor test. During the hearing on Friday which went for more than an hour, Yeddyurappa placed before the apex court the letters he had sent to Governor Vala in which he had staked claim to form the government in Karnataka.