BS Yeddyurappa takes oath as Karnataka Chief Minister

He took oath after the Supreme Court refused to stop the ceremony.

The apex court gave its decision during a rare overnight hearing on the petition filed by the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular.

The Congress-JD(S) had filed a petition against Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala's decision to invite BS Yeddyurappa to take oath.

The Congress party had approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing into the matter.

A bench of Justice AK Sikri, Justice A Bobde and Justice Ashok Bhushan has heard the case.

Ex-Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi defended the BJP and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was advocating the union government in the case, report said.

In a major political turn, the Karnataka unit of BJP on Wednesday evening announced that its leader BS Yeddyurappa will be taking oath as the chief minister of the south Indian state on Thursday after governor Vajubhai Vala invited the party to form government.

The Governor gave BJP a period of 15 days to prove majority, said reports.

In an argument inside the top court, Singhvi said 15 days time to prove majority is "encouraging constitutional sin of poaching".

Countering Singhvi, Rohatgi said the court can't stop a Governor from performing his act.

However, the court did not say anything regarding the time period to prove the majority.

BJP had won 104 seats in the Assembly polls. 

Image: BJP Karnataka Twitter page