Signalling the end of the hearing, Justice Sikri concluded the matter and rose to say, "Let us enjoy our holidays." This sent those gathered in the courtroom into peals of laughter.
The tense, high-voltage hearing in the Supreme Court on Saturday morning — where the BJP and the Congress battled it out over the appointment of Bopaiah as Pro tem Speaker — had its own lighter moments.
Signalling the end of the hearing, Justice Sikri concluded the matter and rose to say, "Let us enjoy our holidays." This sent those gathered in the courtroom into peals of laughter.
The Congress had moved the apex court against the appointment of KG Bopaiah, a three-time MLA, as Pro tem Speaker. Traditionally, the Pro tem Speaker is the longest standing member of the assembly. The hearing began on a sombre note, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal apologising to the Bench for troubling it on a Saturday, which is a holiday for the court. Justice Sikri, known for his gentle demeanour, said, "We have to do our constitutional duty."
After the court concluded dictating its order, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Congress-JD(S) combine, told the Bench: "In a lighter vein, we hope that we do not trouble you (judges) on Sunday." Justice Sikri was quick to respond: "That is what we were discussing. We, ourselves, have that apprehension," Justice Sikri said.
The argument saw its share of tense moments, too. After Kapil Sibal, who was appearing for HD Kumaraswamy, made his arguments contending that the notification appointing Bopaiah as Pro tem Speaker be looked into, Justice Bobde said that if the court were to look into the notification, then it will result in more time for floor test.
Sibal argued that the floor test cannot be postponed. "You are now coming from a zone of contradiction, you want his appointment to challenged, but floor test not be postponed," said Justice Bobde. Sibal replied his intention was not to cast aspersions on Bopaiah, but that Bopaiah not be allowed to preside over the trust vote.
It was then that Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state of Karnataka, said that the trust vote will be telecast on TV channels by live feed, which was agreed to by the petitioners.
The court finally ruled that a division vote will be carried out live across TV channels, and that the Pro tem Speaker will have no other agenda apart from conducting the swearing-in of the elected MLAs and holding the trust vote.
Earlier on Friday, when hearing the matter of Governor Vajubhai Vala inviting BS Yeddyurappa to prove majority within 15 days, Justice Sikri had quoted a social media joke that the owner of a resort where the Congress-JD(S) legislators were holed up has also staked claim to form government saying he had 117 MLAs. "On a lighter vein, I must say that I saw a message circulated on the social media in which a resort owner wrote a letter to the Governor for formation of government saying he has the support of 117 MLAs," he had said.
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