The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the rebel MLAs in Karnataka cannot be compelled to attend the trust vote in the Karnataka assembly on Thursday. “It’s not necessary for the MLAs to attend the session tomorrow,” a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said.

The court, however, said that Karnataka Assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had the discretion to decide either the disqualification or resignation of the MLAs.

Follow Live updates on Karnataka political developments:

5:10 pm IST Judicial overreach: Siddaramaiah on SC’s Karnataka order “Judicial overreach at its worst to aid defection orchestrated by @BJP4India. The judgement laid down today is a paradox to itself. It gives speaker his power but snatches from the political parties making the former redundant. Only morality of defectors can solve this dilemma!” tweeted Siddaramaiah





4:37pm IST MLAs have to seek permission: Karnataka minister Krishna Byre Gowda The Supreme Court has said that attending or not attending is left to the MLAs, but assembly rules state that such MLAs have to seek permission. We asked Speaker if this relaxation has been granted. He said they have to seek permission, said minister Krishna Byre Gowda





01:49 pm IST HD Kumaraswamy holds meeting with Congress leaders Karnataka CM, HD Kumaraswamy holds meeting with Congress leaders in Bengaluru. Karnataka CM, HD Kumaraswamy holds meeting with Congress leaders in Bengaluru. pic.twitter.com/0jARBO1YWi — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





01:36 pm IST It is a terrible judicial precedent: Randeep Singh Surjewala SC’s order nullifying the Whip & by extension, operation of Constitution’s Xth Schedule to punish MLA’s betraying the public mandate, sets a terrible judicial precedent! Blanket protection to MLA’s, who are driven not by ideology but by far baser concerns, is unheard-of.





01:13 pm IST This landmark judgement has given strength to democratic process: DK Shivakumar DK Shivakumar, Congress on SC’s verdict on Karnataka rebel MLAs case: This landmark judgement has given strength to democratic process. Some BJP friends are trying to misguide that whip is not valid but the party can issue a whip & take necessary action as per anti-defection law. DK Shivakumar, Congress on SC's verdict on Karnataka rebel MLAs case: This landmark judgement has given strength to democratic process. Some BJP friends are trying to misguide that whip is not valid but the party can issue a whip & take necessary action as per anti-defection law. pic.twitter.com/BXgqWc7I8a — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





12:55 pm IST I respect and welcome Supreme Court order: Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar I respect and welcome Supreme Court order with utmost humility: Karnataka Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar, reports news agency PTI





12:54 pm IST No question of attending Assembly: Rebel MLAs No question of going back, no question of attending Assembly: Rebel MLAs in Mumbai, reports news agency PTI.





12:53 pm IST It is a “moral victory” for rebel MLAs: Yeddyurappa BJP welcomes SC decision, it is a “moral victory” for rebel MLAs: BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa





12:16 pm IST Will follow SC order on MLAs’ resignations: Karnataka Speaker Karnataka Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar on Wednesday said he would follow the Supreme Court’s order that the 15 rebel legislators of the ruling Congress-JD-S allies cannot be compelled to participate in the proceedings of the House. “I will follow the Supreme Court order on the resignations of 15 rebel MLAs within a time-frame, as advised. I will not delay in deciding on the resignations,” Kumar told reporters in Kannada at his residence in Kolar soon after the apex court pronounced the order, reports news agency IANS.





12:20 pm IST Speaker should pass orders within parameters of Article 190: SC The Supreme court said the Speaker should be allowed to pass appropriate orders on the resignation of the MLAs within parameters of Article 190 of the Constitution and relevant the Rules, reports news agency IANS.





12:17 pm IST Karnataka MLAs: We honour Supreme Court’s verdict Rebel Karnataka MLAs in Mumbai: We honour Supreme Court’s verdict. We all are together. We stand by our decision. There is no question of going to the Assembly. Rebel #Karnataka MLAs in #Mumbai: We honour Supreme Court's verdict. We all are together. We stand by our decision. There is no question of going to the Assembly. pic.twitter.com/56z1XdPnMj — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





11:58 am IST SC will have to create timelines for Speakers: GVL Narasimha Rao GVL Narasimha Rao, BJP on SC verdict in K’taka MLAs case: SC in its final judgement will have to create timelines for Speakers to decide a matter be it Assembly or Parliament. If required we’ll look at need for amending the act so that Speakers can’t go by their own whims & fancies. GVL Narasimha Rao, BJP on SC verdict in K'taka MLAs case: SC in its final judgement will have to create timelines for Speakers to decide a matter be it Assembly or Parliament. If required we'll look at need for amending the act so that Speakers can't go by their own whims&fancies pic.twitter.com/QJRXwXApEq — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





11:30 am IST No time frame can be set for the Speaker: Supreme Court In an interim order passed to maintain ‘Constitutional balance’, Supreme Court said while no time frame can be set for the Speaker to take a decision on the resignations of Karnataka rebel MLAs, the lawmakers also could not be forced to attend the trust vote scheduled for Thursday.





11:25 am IST Court said the matter will be thrashed out at a later date: Mukul Rohatgi Mukul Rohatgi, representing Karnataka rebel MLAs in Supreme Court: The Court has said that the matter will be fully thrashed out at a later date. Mukul Rohatgi, representing Karnataka rebel MLAs in Supreme Court: The Court has said that the matter will be fully thrashed out at a later date. pic.twitter.com/WBIQIk0p5y — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





11:24 am IST Will take a decision that in no way will go contrary to the Constitution: Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar: I will take a decision that in no way will go contrary to the Constitution, the Court and the Lokpal. Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar: I will take a decision that in no way will go contrary to the Constitution, the Court and the Lokpal. pic.twitter.com/p0QcgBJkPB — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





11:20 am IST Karnataka CM has lost his mandate: BS Yeddyurappa BS Yeddyurappa, BJP: Karnataka CM has lost his mandate, when there is no majority he must resign tomorrow. I welcome SC’s decision, it’s the victory of constitution&democracy, a moral victory for rebel MLAs. It’s only an interim order, SC will decide powers of Speaker in future, reports news agency ANI. BS Yeddyurappa, BJP: Karnataka CM has lost his mandate, when there is no majority he must resign tomorrow. I welcome SC's decision, it's the victory of constitution&democracy, a moral victory for rebel MLAs. It's only an interim order, SC will decide powers of Speaker in future. pic.twitter.com/LAPOFsHDK8 — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





11:19 am IST Whip issued against rebel MLAs to attend the House tomorrow is not operative in view of the SC: Mukul Rohatgi The three-line whip issued against them (rebel MLAs) to attend the House tomorrow is not operative in view of the SC judgement. Secondly, the Speaker has been given time to decide on the resignations as and when he wants to decide, reports news agency ANI.





11:18 am IST Anarchy in the state because of HD Kumaraswamy: Jagadish Shettar Jagadish Shettar, BJP on SC’s verdict on Karnataka rebel MLAs case: There is anarchy in the state because of HD Kumaraswamy, he should resign immediately after this verdict and not wait for the trust vote. Jagadish Shettar, BJP on SC's verdict on Karnataka rebel MLAs case: There is anarchy in the state because of HD Kumaraswamy, he should resign immediately after this verdict and not wait for the trust vote. pic.twitter.com/Kp2XkKZ9XR — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





11:15 am IST SC has said important things: Mukul Rohatgi Mukul Rohatgi, representing Karnataka rebel MLAs in SC: In view of Trust Vote kept for tomorrow, SC has said two important things- 15 MLAs will not be compelled to attend the House tomorrow. All 15 MLAs are given the liberty that may or may not go to the House tomorrow, reports news agency ANI. Mukul Rohatgi, representing Karnataka rebel MLAs in SC: In view of Trust Vote kept for tomorrow, SC has said two important things- 15 MLAs will not be compelled to attend the House tomorrow. All 15 MLAs are given the liberty that may or may not go to the House tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/iPmIysJ1KL — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





10:58 am IST Speaker cannot be forced to take a decision within a time frame: SC The Karnataka Speaker cannot be forced to take a decision within a time frame.Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar has the discretion to decide either the disqualification or resignation of the MLAs.





10:56 am IST Speaker’s decision to be placed before the court: SC Karnataka Speaker’s decision,once taken, to be placed before the court: SC





10:54 am IST Larger questions would be decided at a later stage: Supreme Court Supreme Court says larger questions would be decided at a later stage. It adds interim order has been given in view of the special session convened.





10:45 am IST Can’t force Karnataka rebel MLAs to take part in trust vote: Supreme Court Supreme Court says Karnataka rebel MLAs can’t be compelled to participate in July 18 trust vote.





10:42 am IST CJI bench: Karnataka speaker free to decide on resignation of rebel MLAs Supreme Court says it’s not necessary for the MLAs to attend the session tomorrow. CJI bench, however, says Karnataka speaker is free to decide on resignation of rebel MLAs.





10:40 am IST Hearing on Karnataka rebel MLAs case in begins Hearing on Karnataka rebel MLAs case begins in Supreme Court.





10:31 am IST We are waiting for Supreme Court’s decision: Yeddyurappa Former Karnataka CM & BJP leader, B S Yeddyurappa: We are waiting for Supreme Court’s decision, the Karnataka MLAs who have resigned will not be affected. Tomorrow CM is going to move the confidence motion, he will lose the mandate, let us see what will happen. Former Karnataka CM & BJP leader, B. S. Yeddyurappa: We are waiting for Supreme Court's decision, the MLAs who have resigned will not be affected. Tomorrow CM is going to move the confidence motion, he will lose the mandate, let us see what will happen. pic.twitter.com/pne91pn9d8 — ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2019





09:45 am IST Confident that govt does not have the numbers to survive: Yeddyurappa BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa said he was confident that the government does not have the numbers to survive the vote. “Let us wait for Thursday. There are 15 MLAs [members of legislative assembly] in Mumbai and two Independents [who have withdrawn support to the government]. Another two MLAs have promised us [support]. So we have got 100% confidence that the motion will be defeated and the chief minister [ HD Kumaraswamy] will have to resign,” he said, without elaborating on who the other two members were.





09:30 am IST The idea is to overreach the court’s protection: Mukul Rohatgi Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi told a bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, to issue a whip ordering them to vote in the assembly and later disqualify them if they disobey. “The game to issue a new whip and argue Supreme Court’s (status quo) order was limited to the previous whip... The idea is to overreach the court’s protection” said Rohatgi, who is a former attorney general.





09:10 am IST ‘Can’t force us to attend assembly’: Karnataka’s rebel MLAs tell Supreme Court Karnataka’s rebel lawmakers who had petitioned the SC to get Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar to quickly decide on their resignation as MLAs, told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that they could not be forced to attend the assembly for the trust vote scheduled this Thursday if they do not want to go.





08:51 am IST What if the resignations get accepted? If the resignations are accepted, the 15-month-old coalition would be reduced to a minority in the assembly and leave it poised on the brink of collapse in the climax of a crisis that began on July 6.





08:49 am IST Karnataka Speaker on rebel MLAs Karnataka Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Tuesday asked the SC to vacate its last week’s directive that stopped him from deciding the resignation and disqualification of the 16 rebel lawmakers. Ramesh Kumar also questioned the Supreme Court’s powers to intervene before the Speaker took a decision.





08:46 am IST CJI Ranjan Gogoi reserved its verdict on Tuesday A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi reserved its verdict at the conclusion of a hearing that went on for a little more than three hours on Tuesday.





08:44 am IST 13 from the Congress and three from JD(S) have quit since July 7 In all, 16 MLAs — 13 from the Congress and three from JD(S) — have quit since July 7, pushing the coalition government to the brink of collapse. All but one have filed petitions in the apex court. The defections will trigger a legal clause that disqualifies these MLAs, bringing the 224-member assembly’s strength down to 208 and giving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a majority in the House.



