Maharashtra crisis: Supreme Court agrees to sit after court hours today to hear challenge to floor test
The Hindu
‘Floor test cannot be held when the disqualification proceedings against several MLAs are pending,’ says senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, for Thackeray loyalist Sunil Prabhu.
Amidst the frenzy of political churnings in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court decided to sit beyond normal working hours, at 5 p.m., on Wednesday to hear a petition filed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's camp challenging a floor test called by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday to glean whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi government still enjoys majority in the House.
"Considering the urgency that has been created, we will have to hear the case today itself," Justice Surya Kant, heading a Vacation Bench also comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala, addressed the Sena dissidents' faction.
The turn of events began with senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, for Thackeray loyalist Sunil Prabhu, making an oral mentioning before the Bench about the scheduling of a "completely illegal floor test" on Thursday morning.
"Floor test cannot be held when the disqualification proceedings against several MLAs are pending. Floor test cannot include the votes of many MLAs whose names are under a stigma... Now people will fly down and vote," Mr. Singhvi submitted.
The senior lawyer submitted that the notice for the floor test "has just come now".
"Hardly a day's time has been given... The floor test will be held tomorrow (Thursday) early at 11 a.m. It is imperative that the court hear the case today itself... We will serve the pleadings to the other parties. Mr. Kaul [Neeraj Kishan Kaul, for the dissidents] is already here... Please hear the petition at 5 p.m or 6 p.m. today," Mr. Singhvi urged the court.
He said the Supreme Court had given more time to the 39 rebel MLAs to file their replies to the disqualification notice. "However, this time given by the court is now being used to claim majority... This is an attempt to pre-emptively determine the outcome of the disqualification proceedings... Look at the suddenness of the floor test notice," Mr. Singhvi submitted
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