Karnataka political crisis LIVE: SC not to hear independents' plea today, Speaker summons rebels

The fate of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in Karnataka hangs in the balance even as the opposing political camps make frantic efforts to get the upper hand in the messy political duel. While the Supreme Court refused to hear the plea of two rebel MLAs seeking immediate trust vote on Monday, the Speaker has summoned the rebel MLAs to the Assembly tomorrow.

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said before adjourning the house on Friday night that a final decision on the motion of confidence, moved by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, would be taken on Monday. He said that the matter would not be prolonged under any circumstances, to which the government agreed.

Accusing the governor of interfering with the ongoing Assembly proceedings, Kumaraswamy and the Congress moved the Supreme Court. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, had accused the Speaker of delaying the floor test to help the Congress-JDS coalition.

Two independent Karnataka MLAs, H Nagesh and R Shankar, also moved the SC on Sunday, seeking a direction to conclude a floor test in the state Assembly on Monday before 5 pm. They have made the Speaker, CM, and the Centre as the respondents in their petition.

Here are the live updates on the political crisis in the state:

The Assembly proceedings have been adjourned for a lunch break. Proceedings will resume at 3:30 pm.

Karnataka Congress minister Krishna Byre Gowda insisted that the Speaker should make a decision on the disqualification of rebel MLAs first and then hold the trust vote.

The BJP asked Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, to resign and go home in a Facebook post, "If at all you have faith and respect for the Constitution and the people of the state, you resign and go home." They also ran a hashtag in Kannada that said, "people of the state will not forgive you."

Anand Murthy, an advocate, has filed PIL in Karnataka High Court, alleging that trust vote is being deliberately delayed.

"We have formed an SIT in the IMA case. They have worked well and we have given free hand to the police. I don't know who Mansoor [founder of IMA group] is. The Opposition says I ate biryani with him. I didn't go to eat biryani. I only went for a Ramzan celebration hosted by the Shivajinagar MLA. I have no clue who Mansoor is...when I went to the IMA office I saw PM's photo too. Our police have arrested Mansoor. ED has custody of him now. This government wasn't involved anywhere," said CM HD Kumaraswamy in the Assembly. 

Congress leader Krishna Byre Gowda accused the BJP in his address in the Assembly of offering cabinet posts to rebel MLAs. "One is Ramesh Jarkiholi. He has been in touch with the BJP, met them several times in the last few months. He was unhappy for not having received a ministerial berth," he said. 

"Jarkiholi has constantly been seen with BJP leaders. During the Lok Sabha polls as well, he has facilitated BJP. Hence we have filed a disqualification petition against him," he added.

Rebel MLAs may get disqualified if they abstain from the Assembly session. 

The Speaker clarified during the Assembly proceedings that he will not send a message to MLAs in Mumbai. "Issuing whip is left to leaders of respective parties," he said. 

The Speaker said that leaders from all the parties will address the Assembly session on Monday. 

"Do not make me a scapegoat by delaying proceedings," said the Speaker. 

Speaker Ramesh Kumar said that it would be "impossible" to delay the floor test in the Karnataka Assembly.

CM Kumaraswamy reportedly requested the Speaker to hold the trust vote on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a delegation of the BJP also met the Speaker asking for the floor test to be held on Monday itself.

In a notice issued over disqualification petition by coalition leaders, Speaker Ramesh Kumar has summoned the rebel MLAs, who are currently lodged in a Mumbai hotel, for a meeting at his office at 11 am on Tuesday.

The petitions of the Independent MLAs, H Nagesh and R Shankar, which demanded an "immediate" floor test in the Karnataka Assembly, was mentioned before the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday but the Supreme Court bench turned down the request for an urgent hearing of the petition.

Gogoi said hearing the petition on Monday would be "impossible". The petitions could be taken up by the court on Tuesday.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena blamed the Centre for being "just a mere spectator and doing nothing in the Karnataka Crisis". The party also demanded President's rule in the state or the dissolution of the state government and fresh elections, in a statement printed in its mouthpiece, Saamana magazine.

Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said on Monday that he was in "no hurry" to accept the resignations of the rebel MLAs.

He also confirmed that the floor test on the coalition government will be concluded by 6 pm.

"It is a gentlemanly agreement between the parties that the floor test must conclude today," Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar was quoted as saying by India Today.

Ahead of the floor test of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka, security has been increased around Vidhana Soudha. Security personnel have been deployed at Vidhana Soudha and Raj Bhavan road, reported ANI.

The petitions filed by CM HD Kumaraswamy and Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao, seeking clarification on the previous SC order which allowed the rebel MLAs to skip the floor test, will reportedly be mentioned before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi at 10.30 on Monday. 

The Assembly is set to begin at 11 am. The coalition government may try to delay the trust vote by putting forward as many arguments as they can, reported CNN-News18. 

CM Kumaraswamy took to Twitter on Sunday, July 21, to accuse the BJP of "taking away several MLAs from ruling coalition forcefully". He also appealed to the rebel MLAs to attend the Assembly session on Monday.