SC decision as per law, Speaker will also follow rules: Mallikarjun Kharge of 10 rebel MLA's directed to meet K'tka speaker

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hailed the decision of Supreme Court directing 10 rebel Karnataka MLAs to meet the Karnataka Assembly Speaker at his office and said that the Speaker will also go as per rules.

Commenting on the apex court's directives, Kharge said, "The Court has ordered, naturally that will be followed. As per law they have to act. Speaker will also go as per rule."

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the 10 rebel MLAs of Karnataka to appear before Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar in the evening for which they will be provided with police protection when they land in Bengaluru from Mumbai.

Ten Congress and JD(S) MLAs had earlier moved the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to the Assembly Speaker to accept their resignation and not proceed with the applications for their disqualification from the House.

"The court has accepted the request of the 10 MLAs, who had resigned, to appear before the Speaker at 6 pm today, which means that they will fly from Mumbai to Bengaluru," senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared on behalf of the dissident legislators before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi told reporters.

Meanwhile, the ten dissident legislators of Congress and JD(S) who were staying at a hotel in Mumbai have left for Karnataka.

The 13-month-old Congress-JDS government had on Saturday slumped into crisis following the resignation of MLAs.

The 225-member state Assembly includes one nominated MLA. The halfway mark is 113.