SC allows rebel K'taka MLAs to withdraw plea, pulls up Mukul Rohatgi over absence in court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed two Independent Karnataka MLAs to withdraw their petition with respect to the floor test in the Assembly after the Congress-JD(S) government lost the trust vote.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi passed the order after the lawmakers -- H Nagesh and R Shankar -- pleaded to withdraw it.

In the petition, the duo, who had earlier withdrew their support to the Congress-JD (S) government in Karnataka, sought a direction to conclude the floor test in the state Assembly.

The legislators had made Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, outgoing Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, and the central government respondents in their petition.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing Kumaraswamy, told the apex court that he has no objection to the withdrawal of the petition.

During the course of proceeding, the Chief Justice pulled up Mukul Rohatgi, the counsel for the rebel lawmakers, for his absence from the courtroom for the second consecutive day.

The top court had adjourned the matter over his absence, yesterday.

"When the court wants counsel to be present, he is not present. But, when he wants an urgent listing he is present 11 pm, wants midnight hearing at 2 am, 3 am and what not...," the court said.

The Congress-JD(S) coalition government fell on Tuesday as it lost the trust vote in the Assembly. Following the defeat, Kumaraswamy submitted his resignation to Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan, along with his cabinet ministers.

The defeat marked the end of an uneasy coalition that was formed after the assembly polls on May 23, 2018, which returned a hung verdict after three main parties in the state- Congress, BJP and the JD (S) contested against each other in the polls.

( With inputs from ANI )