BS Yeddyurappa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka at the Raj Bhavan, on Thursday, 17 May.
The 75-year-old Lingayat strongman was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Vajubhai Vala at a ceremony amid loud cheering by his supporters, as he set to become the 23rd Chief Minister of Karnataka.
This came after a long, dramatic and rare late night at the Supreme Court, as a bench comprising Justices AK Sikri, Ashok Bhushan and SA Bobde heard the petition filed by the Congress-JD(S) alliance against the governor, Vajubhai Vala’s invitation to the BJP to form the government.
In a huge relief to Yeddyurappa, the Supreme Court in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, 17 May, said it was not in favour of deferring the BJP leader’s swearing-in, even as the Congress and the JD (S) continued their past-midnight legal push to stall the government formation in the state.
"As far as swearing-in is concerned, we are not restraining it, but we are making it subject to the outcome of the case," the three-judge bench said in a rare past-midnight hearing that continued till the wee hours of Thursday.
However, before the bench was to dictate the order, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi pleaded that the bench not dictate the final order and sought to argue the matter further.
The matter will be taken up again on Friday, 18 May at 10:30 am, the bench said. Morever, it asked the government to produce the letter submitted by Yeddyurappa to Vajubhai Vala at the hearing. As of now, Yedyurappa has 15 days to prove his majority in the government.
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
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