Goa CM issue in SC: Court orders floor test on March 16, refused to stay swearing in of Parrikar

All images :PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard a petition filed by Congress against Bhartiya Janta Party forming a Government in Goa. The Congress on Monday moved the SC challenging Goa Governor Mridula Sinha's decision to appoint BJP leader Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of the state. LATEST UPDATES: 

• The Supreme Court orders a floor test in Goa to decide on  who would form a Government in the state
• The court orders floor test to be conducted at 11 am on March 16
• SC requests Governor to summon house for conducting floor test
• No order from SC over Parrikar's oath taking as Goa CM. The ceremony to take place as scheduled at 5 pm
• The hearing in Supreme Court over Congress' plea against BJP forming Govt in Goa underway
• Chief Justice asks Congress if it has a majority in Goa to form the Government
• Congress walks out of Lok Sabha over the issue

The hurriedly filed petition late in the evening was mentioned at the residence of Chief Justice J S Kehar, who agreed to give an urgent hearing on Tuesday. A special bench would be constituted as the apex court is on Holi break for a week. The petition filed by Goa CLP leader Chandrakant Kavlekar has sought stay on the swearing-in of Parrikar as the chief minister. The petition has also sought quashing of the decision of the governor to appoint Parrikar as the chief minister. The petition, filed by advocate Devdutt Kamath, is likely to be argued by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and has made the Centre and Goa as the parties. The Goa CLP leader has argued that the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the polls and under the constitutional convention, the Governor was bound to invite the single largest party to form the government and give it the opportunity to prove majority in the floor test. It said the decision of the governor is a blatantly unconstitutional action and is illegal, arbitrary and ‘violative of the basic features of the Constitution’. He added that the decision was hastily taken by the governor on Sunday. Further, the advocate said it was wrong on the part of the Governor to invite the BJP-led alliance for government formation as there was no pre-poll alliance. In the 40-member House, the Congress has 17 MLAs, followed by the BJP with 13, the MGP (3), the GFP (3), the NCP (1) and Independents (3). Parrikar had on Sunday submitted evidence before Governor, the support of 13 MLAs of the BJP, 3 MLAs of the MGP, 3 of the Goa Forward Party and two Independent MLAs thus having a total strength of 21 MLAs in the 40-member assembly.