NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would consider the fresh audio clip in which Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa is purportedly referring to 17 rebel Cong-JD(S) MLAs , who had been disqualified.A three-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana said since the issue has been brought to its notice the apex court would consider it. "You have extensively covered everything in the arguments," the bench, also comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari, told Sibal.Sibal, however, told the bench that the audio clip has come into light after arguments were over in the apex court. "Order of the speaker has to be tested. If you want to place additional evidence on record then we will have to issue notice," the bench said, adding, "You have brought it to our notice, we will consider it. Allow us to deliver the judgement".The bench also told Sibal that during his arguments, he had already referred to the hospitality being provided to these MLAs at Mumbai, allegedly by the BJP.The Karnataka Congress has requested the top court to take on record the audio clip in which Yediyurappa is purportedly hitting out at his party leaders for not recognising the "sacrifice" of the disqualified Congress-JD(S) MLAs, because of whom the BJP could come to power in the state.The speaker had disqualified 17 lawmakers as MLAs, ruling that they cease to be MLAs with immediate effect till the expiry of the 15th assembly (in 2023).The top court had on October 25 reserved verdict on the batch of petitions challenging the disqualification of the 17 Karnataka MLAs before the trust vote moved by the previous H D Kumaraswamy government.

Source: Economic Times November 05, 2019 07:30 UTC