Supreme Court to hear Congress plea against KG Bopaiah appointment today

The Supreme Court will hear the Congress' plea against Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's decision to appoint BJP MLA KG Bopaiah as the Pro tem Speaker at 10:30 am on Saturday. The plea is likely to be heard by the same bench led by Justice A K Sikri, which brought down the floor test duration from 15 days to 24 hours.

Moving an urgent plea late on Friday evening, Congress claimed ample material against Bopaiah from previous Supreme Court's observation to red flag their concerns and sought his removal as the Pro tem Speaker during Saturday's floor test. The party said it is wary of Bopaiah's mala-fide intentions that may come into play.

Producing SC's observations made on May 13,  2011  in the case of Balachandra Jarkiholi versus BS Yeddyurappa, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala pointed out that the court had severely reprimanded Bopaiah for his role as the Speaker.

"The Apex Court said three things about Bopaiah — that he, in league with Yeddyurappa, was trying to defeat a floor test so that Yeddyurappa remained CM; he flagrantly violated the Constitution; and he flagrantly violated the law and every settled principle of natural justice and fair play to ensure Yeddyurappa somehow remained in power and defeated the floor test."

"We put it to the countrymen, the same Bopaiah has now been appointed as Pro tem Speaker and the same Yeddyurappa is again seeking the floor test. What does it mean?" asked Surjewala.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi who had approached the Supreme Court at midnight on May 16 for an urgent hearing to challenge the Governor's decision to appoint Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister and allotting him 15 days' time to prove majority, said, the defeat is staring BJP in the face and that's why it is resorting to desperate measures like appointing Bopaiah as the Pro tem Speaker.

"The role of the Pro tem Speaker is like an umpire or a referee that needs to be fair. How can one expect such role to be played by Bopaiah?" asked Singhvi.

Making a direct charge, Surjewala said, "The trio of Modi, Shah and Vala, in order to help the Yeddy-Reddy gang, will not be permitted to subjugate democracy and trample upon Constitution. I think  appointment  of a three-time MLA as a Pro tem Speaker, discarding the senior-most legislator tradition itself reflects that BJP has conceded defeat pursuant to the verdict of the Supreme Court."