No Maharashtra floor test for now, SC will hear the matter again tomorrow after notices to Centre and State

The Supreme Court on Sunday asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta
to place before it on Monday morning Governor BS Koshyari’s order on November
23 inviting BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis to form the government and Fadnavis’s
letter to the Governor claiming majority.

A bench of Justices NV Ramana,
Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also issued notices to the Centre and
Maharashtra government on a petition filed by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress
combine against the Maharashtra Governor’s decision to swear in Fadnavis as
chief minister. The court also issued notice to Fadnavis and Dy chief minister
Ajit Pawar.

The bench asked Solicitor General Mehta to produce letters of
the Governor at 10.30am on Monday for passing orders. The apex court declined
the fervent request of Mehta seeking two days to place the Governor’s
communication on record.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and
AM Singhvi, appearing for the 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.

While Sibal termed as ‘bizarre’
the Governor’s decision to revoke President’s rule and anoint Fadnavis as the
chief minister, Singhvi said it is a “murder of democracy”.

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.