Can’t force rebel Karnataka MLAs for trust vote: SC

Ahead of the floor test on Thursday, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the fifteen MLAs of Karnataka cannot be compelled to participate in the trust vote tomorrow. The SC has said that it is the rebel MLA's discretion to attend the floor test.

Theapex court further gave the Speaker of the Assembly the liberty to decide onMLAs' resignation. The SC bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi said that no timelimit can be set for the Speaker to decide on resignation of the rebel MLAs.The Speaker can take any decision regarding the resignation of these 15 rebelMLAs within any time frame.

Following the SC decision, the Karnataka Congress has tweeted in Kannada, "Operation lotus will fail. Truth alone triumphs."

Onthe other hand, Karnataka BJP leader Pralhad Joshi said, "This (Congress-JD(S)government has lost confidence. They should and will go."