Just in: The Supreme Court has ordered the Congress party to prove its numbers. Hearing on Congress' petition challenging the appointment of Manohar Parrikar as Goa CM, the Supreme Court has ordered a floor test in the Goa Assembly and has said the senior most MLA to be protem Speaker. The SC has asked for the floor test to be held either today or tomorrow.


At the hearing of the Congress petition in the apex court, the petitioner (Congress) alleged that established constitutional practices being violated by the BJP and that the party (BJP) is involved in horse trading. The SC bench headed by CJI Khehar observed that numbers should determine the single largest party.

The court asks Congress why the party did not approach the governor.

Congress tells the SC, that the governor did not even give a call to the largest winning party the elections in Goa.

Senior lawyer Harish Salve is representing the Central government, while  Abhishek Singhvi is representing the Congress in the SC.


Governor Mridula Sinha will meet the Congress delegation at 1:30 pm.


Congress counsel Singhvi says giving 15 days is not constitutionally correct procedure. This is a subversion of democracy.

The Congress on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging Goa Governor Mridula Sinha's decision to appoint Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manohar Parrikar as the chief minister of the state. The hurriedly filed petition late last evening was mentioned at the residence of Chief Justice J S Kehar.


A special Bench is being constituted for the hearing as the apex court is on Holi break for a week. The petition filed by Goa Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Chandrakant Kavlekar has sought a stay on the swearing-in of Parrikar as the chief minister.


The petition has also sought quashing of the decision of the governor to appoint Parrikar as the chief minister. The Goa CLP leader has argued that the Congress emerged as the single largest party in the polls and under constitutional convention, the governor was bound to invite the single largest party to form the government and give it the opportunity to prove majority in the floor test.


It said the decision of the governor was blatantly unconstitutional and illegal, arbitrary and violated the basic features of the Constitution.


He added that the decision was hastily taken by the governor on Sunday. Further, the advocate said it was wrong on the part of the governor to invite the BJP-led alliance for government formation as there was no pre-poll alliance. In the 40-member House, the Congress has 17 MLAs, followed by the BJP with 13, the MGP (3), the GFP (3), the NCP (1) and Independents (3).