KARNATAKA’S Congress & JD-S Dissident MLAs Move SC Complaining That Speaker Deliberately Delaying In Accepting Resignations.

AS 16 MLAs belonging to the ruling JD-S-Congress coalition government of Karnataka have submitted resignation as lawmakers but remaining in their parties, ten rebel Congress and JD(S) leaders have approached the Supreme Court of India complaining that the Speaker is adopting delaying tactics in accepting their resignations.They   have accused the Speaker of abandoning his constitutional duty and deliberately delaying in accepting   their resignations to benefit the state government. A Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submission of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the rebel MLAs, and assured him that it will see whether their petition can be listed for an urgent hearing on Thursday. The senior lawyer said these lawmakers have already resigned from their membership of the assembly and wanted to contest fresh elections. He sought the hearing either on Wednesday or Thursday on the plea in which it has been alleged that the Speaker had acted in a partisan manner and deliberately not accepting their resignations.”We will see,” the bench, which also comprised justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, said when Rohatgi was pressing for an urgent hearing saying “time is the essence” in the matter. The state Assembly Speaker had held on Tuesday that the resignations of nine out of 14 rebel MLAs were not in order. The Congress has sought the intervention of Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar in disqualifying its rebel legislators and accused the BJP of using money power to lure its members. The BJP has denied the accusation.Meanwhile, in Bengaluru,BJP,  the main opposition in the Karnataka  and the largest political party in the state Assembly ,  and the two ruling parties held demonstrations on Wednesday. While BJP led by former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa claimed the ruling coalition has lost majority in the assembly, the Congress and JD-S faulted BJP for orchestrating defection from their parties. Dissidents who were staying in a Mumbai hotel refused to meet State Works Minister and touted as the government’s trouble-shooter D K Shivakumar.Security measures were tightened around the hotel at the request of the MLAs who apprehended threat from him on the plea of dialogue with them. The hotel authorities cancelled booking of a room in his name citing objection by the dissident MLAs.As he and some other Congress leaders continued to plead with authorities for an audience with the Karnataka MLAs despite  refusal , Proibitory Orders Under 144 CrPC were promulgated .Later, they were  detained  for breaking  the Prohibitory  order.