‘Won’t interfere’, says apex court on MP floor test

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it is not going to come in the way of the legislature to decide who enjoys the trust, as it was hearing the petitions filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeking a trust vote in Madhya Pradesh and the Congress which had opposed it.

“As a constitutional court, we have to discharge our duties,” the bench of justices DY Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta said.

The BJP had claimed in its petition that after the resignation of 22 MLAS, the Kamal Nath government has come in minority and demanded a floor test to prove that the government still enjoys majority. The Congress government, meanwhile, said that its MLAS are held captive in Bengaluru and blamed the BJP for “subverting democracy” in the state.

Madhya Pradesh assembly s peaker NP Prajapati has accepted the resignation of six of the 22 MLAS, and the Congress has demanded that the rest of the lawmakers should be brought back before the trust vote can be held. The Supreme Court said the MLAS can’t be held captive, adding that it knows they can “tilt the balance one way or the other”.

“The 16 rebel MLAS can either proceed to the floor of the House or not, but surely they can’t be held captive,” said the court.

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the BJP, offered to produce all 16 rebel MLAS in judges’ chamber but the court did not agree to the request.

Earlier, the Congress told the SC that a probe is needed on the resignation letters of its rebel MLAS submitted by BJP to the speaker. It also sought more time for the floor test, saying “heavens are not going to fall if the floor test doesn’t happen immediately”.