Karnataka crisis: SC reserves order on rebel MLAs plea, verdict tomorrow

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has reserved its order for July 17 on the plea moved by Karnataka rebel MLAs. The verdict will be pronounced at 10.30 tomorrow. Meanwhile,Speaker K R Ramesh – at the centre of the political crisis – also sought time till tomorrow to decide on the disqualification and resignation of the rebel MLAs.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is first dealing with the pleas of 10 lawmakers against the Karnataka Speaker for not accepting their resignations. It also heard arguments of five more lawmakers who alleged that they "are being forced to support the government on the threat of disqualification". The Chief Minister's counsel told the court that the dissident "MLAs were hunting in pack to destabilise the government." The ten rebel Karnataka MLAs told the apex court that the Speaker was coercing them to vote for the Kumaraswamy government by not accepting their resignations.

(With inputs from Indian Express)