The Supreme Court on Tuesday recorded the Karnataka Assembly Speaker’s “optimism” to hold the trust vote during the course of the day.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, for Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar, told a Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the Karnataka Assembly was a House of more than 100 people and everyone wishing to speak on the confidence motion should be given a chance.
“A House of over 100 people is not as easy to control as, if I may say, it is to control a court,” Mr. Singhvi addressed the court.
“We are not asking you when the government will fall. We are only asking when you will conduct the trust vote,” Chief Justice Gogoi told Mr. Singhvi.
The Bench later adjourned the hearing for July 24, recording the Speaker’s submission that the trust vote may be conducted in the course of the day.
But Mr. Singhvi, after the order was dictated, indicated that he was just being “optimistic” that the trust vote may be held today or tomorrow.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for the rebel MLAs and two independent legislators, submitted that the Speaker twice put off the conduct of the trust vote on Monday. It had become a daily feature and democracy should not be put on hold with a minority government continuing to be in power. He blamed the Speaker for not putting his foot down and conducting the trust vote.