AGENCIES / NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court today asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to place before it the letters of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari recommending revocation of President’s Rule and inviting Devendra Fadnavis to form government in Maharashtra.
A bench of Justices N V Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna asked the Solicitor General to produce the letters tomorrow at 10.30 am for passing orders.
The apex court declined Tushar’s Mehta request seeking two days time to place the Governor’s communication on record.
The bench also issued notices to the Centre and Maharashtra government on a petition filed by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine against the Governor’s decision to swear in Fadnavis as Chief Minister.
The court also issued notice to Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and A M Singhvi, appearing for the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine, told the bench that floor test be conducted today itself so that it can be ascertained that Fadnavis enjoys majority in the house.
They maintained that post-poll alliance of the three parties have the majority in the 288-member house.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for two BJP MLAs and some independents, questioned the maintainability of the writ petition filed by the combine and said they should have approached the Bombay High Court.
The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine last night filed a petition in the apex court, seeking quashing of the Maharashtra Governor’s decision to swear-in BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister, and demanded an immediate floor test within 24 hours to avoid horse trading.
The three parties also sought a direction to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite them to form government under the leadership of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
They also filed a separate application seeking direction for summoning of a special session of the assembly for swearing-in of MLAs and a floor test.
They demanded that the parties should be permitted to prove strength on the floor of the House by holding of a composite floor test.
