Laughter rocks Karnataka row: 'Now, Let us enjoy our holidays'

As the Supreme Court concluded the hearing on the Karnataka power tussle on Saturday, Justice Sikri sparked off a bout of laughter with his “holiday” remarks.

"Now, let us enjoy our holidays," Justice AK Sikri, who headed the three-judge bench, said as the court hearing concluded. The court room burst into a bout of laughter over the jovial remark.

The court had been witnessing tensed and high-voltage arguments during the emergency hearings on the power tussle in Karnataka ahead of the floor test for BS Yeddyruppa to prove his party’s majority in the assembly.

The Congress had moved court against the appointment of KG Bopaiah, a three-time MLA, as pro-tem speaker. Traditionally, the pro-tem speaker is the longest standing member of the assembly.

The hearing began on a sombre note, with senior advocate Kapil Sibal apologising to the bench for troubling it on a Saturday, which is holiday for the court.

"We would have never troubled you, but we had no option other than to do this, as established principles weren't followed," Sibal said.

Joining Sibal, after the court concluded dictating its order, senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Congress- JD(S) combine, told the bench, "In a lighter vein, we hope that we do not trouble you (judges) on Sunday." To which, Justice Sikri quickly responded: "That's we were discussing. We, ourselves, have that apprehension".