SC said the 15 rebel Congress and JD(S) MLAs 'ought not' to be compelled to take part in the proceedings of the Karnataka Assembly, which is slated to decide the confidence motion moved by the H D Kumaraswamy-led state government on Thursday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi further said Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar was free to decide on the resignations of the rebel legislators.

Governor Vajubhai Vala has asked Speaker Kumar to conduct the trust vote today itself.

State BJP chief B.S. Yeddyurappa, who could be the next CM if the coalition government fails to prove a majority, said, “The CM (Kumaraswamy) won’t be able to prove majority tomorrow.”

Amid rebellion by a section of ruling coalition MLAs, Kumaraswamy moved confidence motion in state Assembly today to prove majority of the 14-month-old coalition. There was a spate of resignations by MLAs from the ruling Congress-JD(S) government since July 6. The government has been hanging by a thread following this.

The crisis was enmarked with eight days of high drama. On July 6, 13 MLAs—10 from JD(S) and three from Congress resigned and 10 of them left for Mumbai.

A day later, hectic parleys began between Congress and JD(S) leaders, meanwhile, Kumaraswamy met Congress leaders at Taj West End Hotel in Bangalore.

On July 9, Congres MLA R Roshan Baig also quit, taking the number of resignations to 14. JD(S) MLAs were ferried to a resort at the foothills of Nandi Hills in Kartnataka. Moreover, Congress Legislature Party sought the disqualification of the MLAs who had resigned.

Congress rebel MLAs K Sudhakar and MTB Nagaraj also resigned. The drama ensued inside Vidhan Soudha on July 10 when Congress MLAs forcibly collared Sudhakar and took him to meet former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. The state governor ordered the police to escort Sudhakar to Raj Bhawan in Karnataka, meanwhile, BJP leaders staged a protest. The police later locked down the secretariat. Whereas, Congress’s DK Shivakumar, when he tried to reach out to the rebel MLAs cooped up in a Mumbai hotel (believed to be flown out to Mumabai by BJP after they resigned), was detained by the police and deported to Bangalore.

After these instances led to the intervention of the Supreme Court into the matter, Kumaraswamy, in a bid to save his government, announced on the floor of the house that he would seek a trust vote. Interestingly, the theatrics of Karnataka politicians divided on the trust vote call in the state Assembly today has attracted everyone's attention and they couldn’t stop reacting.

While the Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and other party leaders participating in the Assembly session today. Many have been posting memes and jokes surrounding the crisis on Twitter.

Despite Governor's direction to the Speaker to 'consider' holding the trust vote today, the House has been adjourned until tomorrow 11 am.