Karnataka High Court judge V G Sabhahit,who was hearing the disqualification of 11 BJP MLAs,reserved his judgement on Thursday giving Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa some more time to breathe. The High Court had resumed the hearing on the petitions by 11 rebel BJP MLAs challenging their disqualification from the Assembly by Speaker K G Bopaiah after they withdrew support to the B S Yeddyurappa government. After inconclusive arguments,Justice V G Sabhahith had on Wednesday too adjourned the hearing on the petitions by the MLAs,who contended that the Speaker's October 10 order was "vitiated" and "perverse" and their action withdrawing support did not attract the relevant provisions of the anti-defection law. The judge is hearing the petitions after a division Bench delivered a split verdict with Chief Justice J S Khehar upholding the Speaker's order and Justice N Kumar setting it aside. The 11 MLAs and five Independents were disqualified by the Speaker a day before the trust vote sought by Yeddyurappa,heading the BJP's first ever government in the south. The first confidence motion,carried by a voice vote,was declared unconstitutional by Governor H R Bhardwaj who initially recommended imposition of President's rule but later asked the chief minister to seek a fresh trust vote,which he did on October 14. The petition by the five Independent MLAs would be decided by a new division Bench on November 2. The court had said earlier that the October 14 trust vote was subject to its verdict on the petitions by independents. Second Cong MLA resigns from Karnataka Assembly in 2 days Bangalore: The Opposition Congress suffered another setback today when one of its legislators resigned from his Karnataka Assembly membership,making him the second from the party to do so in two days. Narayanaswamy,who represented Bangarpet in Kolar district,yesterday submitted his resignation which was accepted today by the assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah,secretariat sources said. He is the third from the Opposition parties to resign from the the assembly in a week's time. S V Ramachandra,who represented the Congress Jagalur constituency yesterday quit the Karnataka Assembly,while on last Friday JD(S) MLA from Chennapatna M C Ashwath resigned from the house. Last evening,apprehending desertion of some of their legislators to the Bharatiya Janata Party,Congress leaders and MLAs laid siege to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's residence and asked the ruling party not to indulge in "Operation Lotus" which it alleged was directed at poaching opposition MLAs to remain in power. The Congress strength has now come down to 71 from 73 and that of the JD (S) to 27 from 28 in the 224-member assembly with the BJP having 106 members including the Speaker. Eleven rebel BJP MLAs and five independents,who withdrew support to the first ever saffron government in the south,have been disqualified from the assembly membership,an issue which is now before the High Court.
