Big SC verdict: Maharashtra floor test tomorrow, proceedings to be telecast live

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 26, pronounced that the Maharashtra floor test will be conducted on November 27. The proceedings will be telecast live and conclude before 5 pm. The senior-most MLA in the house will be appointed as the Protem Speaker for the proceedings.

A three-member SC bench, comprising Justice NV Ramana, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, held on Sunday an urgent hearing of a plea filed by the three parties against Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari's "arbitrary, mala fide actions/decisions" of inviting Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis to form the government.

The three parties were seeking an immediate floor test to avoid horse-trading and "illegal manoeuvres". After the hearing, the apex court had issued notices to Devendra Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar, the Union of India and the State of Maharashtra.

During Monday's hearing, that went on for 80 minutes, the letter by Fadnavis to the Governor claiming majority was read out. The letter mentioned a letter written by Ajit Pawar extending support of 54 NCP MLAs to the BJP. Meanwhile, NCP leader Nawab Malik said on Monday that 52 MLAs have come back to the party while one more person is in contact with them.

The Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP on Monday also staked claimed to form the government and organised a public parade of their 162 supporting MLAs.

Besides, the 162 MLAs, top leaders of the 'Maha Vikas Aghadi' combine like Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Praful Patel, Jayant Patil, Nawab Malik, Jitendra Awhad (all Nationalist Congress Party), Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Thackeray, Eknath Shinde, and Sanjay Raut (all Shiv Sena), Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat and Mallikarjuna Kharge (Congress) and others were present.

The move came barely 12 hours before the SC judgment on the floor test.

Here are the Live updates of today's proceedings:

• Floor test will be conducted on November 27.
• Senior-most MLA of the house will be appointed as the Protem Speaker. 
• No secret ballot. 
• Floor test will be telecast.
• Proceedings will be concluded before 5 pm. 

Floor test will be conducted before 5 pm on Wednesday, November 27. 

Protem speaker to be appointed and the only agenda is to conduct the floor test on November 27. Proceedings will be live telecast. 

SC bench announces that the floor test will be held tomorrow.

"There exists a dispute in the role of the judiciary. Institutional comity must exist without judicial interference."

The three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Justices NV Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna assemble in the courtroom.

The opposition is likely to boycott the Joint Session of Parliament on Tuesday, marking the 70th Constitution Day. The opposition is protesting the "murder of democracy" in Maharashtra and the "manhandling" of women MPs by security staff in the Lok Sabha.

"Legislature Secretariat has received a letter claiming that Jayant Patil is the Legislative Party Leader for NCP. But, decision has to be taken by the Speaker. As of today, it has not been decided," said Rajendra Bhagwat, Maharashtra Legislature Secretary.

"We are confirmed that Ajit Pawar is the leader of NCP on the Floor of the House, and his whip will hold as leader of the legislature party," said BJP leader Ashish Shelar.

The Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP combine is likely to file a petition against the closure of nine cases against Ajit Pawar in the 70,000-crore irrigation scam, CNN-News18 reported.

"The Devendra Fadnavis Government cannot take policy decisions before floor test," the petition read.