Karnataka LIVE: Mumbai Police releases DK Shivkumar, Milind Deora and other Congress leaders

Karnataka crisis entered day five today as senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar failed to meet and convince the rebel lawmakers staying at a hotel in northeast Mumbai’s Powai area. The Karnataka minister was stopped from entering Hotel Renaissance where the lawmakers are staying. The Mumbai Police had deployed teams and the security personnel stopped Shivakumar’s entry. Meanwhile, ten rebel Karnataka MLAs of Congress and JD(S) moved the Supreme Court, alleging that the Assembly Speaker has been deliberately not accepting their resignations. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took note of the submission of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the rebel MLAs, and assured him that it will see whether their petition can be listed for an urgent hearing tomorrow.

Here are 10 latest updates on Karnataka crisis:

1. Two more Congress MLAs have resigned, Dr K Sudhakar and Mr MTB Nagaraj. As in the case of other MLAs, law will take its own course. The law cannot deviate from person to person, it is uniform for one and all: Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar

2. Supreme Court agrees to hear rebel MLAs' plea against Karnataka Speaker tomorrow.

3. Karnataka minister DK Shivakumar was taken into custody by Mumbai police outside the luxury hotel where rebel MLAs from his state are lodged. Former Union minister Milind Deora and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan, who had arrived to meet Shivakumar, were also detained, an official said.

4. Section 144 has been imposed in and around the hotel where the rebel leaders are staying. Section 144 (prohibits assembly of more than 4 people in an area) was imposed in Powai Police station limits with effect from July 9 to July 12 (both dates inclusive) because of "likelihood of breach of peace & disturbance of public tranquillity"

5. The move comes even as Shivakumar was seen outside the hotel, sipping coffee and announcing that he won’t leave without meeting his ‘friends.’ However, the hotel says the Shivakumar's name has been cancelled due to ‘some emergency'.

6. In Bengaluru, former Karnataka Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa and other BJP leaders are holding protest outside Vidhana Soudha.

7. Rebel Karnataka Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi maintains that he is not interested in meeting Shivakumar. “We are not interested in meeting him.” He also added that, “no one from BJP is here to meet us.” 

8. The coalition has 118 MLAs in the 224-member Assembly. 13 MLAs as of now have submitted their resignations. Of the 13, there are ten Congress legislators and three from the JD(S). If the resignations are accepted, Congress-JDS numbers would reduce to 105. Out of which the grand old party will have 71 legislators including the speaker while the JDS will be left with 35 legislators including the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.

9. In what can be called as breather for troubled Congress-JDS alliance, Karnataka Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Monday said that “out of 13 resignations (by the MLAs), 8 are not in order.” He added that, “Five other rebels have proper resignations and I have given time to them to present themselves before me.”

10. Out of 13, 8 are not according to the prescribed rules under rule 202 under Karnataka legislature procedure, Kumar said. He added that, “If they (MLAs) are intent on reiterating their stance, they should do according to proper rules.” Anand Singh, Ramalinga Reddy, Narayan Gowda, Pratap Goud Patil and Gopaliah have given resignation in proper format, Kumar said.