BS Yeddyurappa, the 75-year-old Lingayat strongman, was sworn in as the 23nd Chief Minister of Karnataka on Thursday, 17 May. He was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Vajubhai Vala at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan amid loud cheering by his supporters. The swearing-in came after a long, dramatic and rare late night hearing 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.
The Supreme Court said it was not in favour of deferring the BJP leader’s swearing-in, even as the Congress and the JD (S) continued their 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. Morever, the bench 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.
