Supreme Court not infallible: Arun Jaitley

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley criticised India?s Supreme Court calling it ?not infallible?, after one of its verdict last Friday led his party?s government in Karnataka into a crisis.

In a ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court had overturned the suspension of 16 Karnataka legislators who had rebelled against graft-accused Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

Announced by the Assembly speaker just hours before the chief minister faced a critical trust vote, the suspensions had helped BJP?s Yeddyurappa scrape through with a wafer thin margin last year, which he would have lost if the ?rebel? MLAs? votes were counted.

The new verdict sent tremors in the B S Yeddyurappa cabinet since it paved the way for the state government to be put on the edge of a cliff and perhaps be led to another trust vote for the chief minister, already battling land scam slur and other problems.

Following the verdict, Karnataka Governor H R Bhardwaj, who shares a publicly bitter relationship with the Chief Minister, had written to the federal government asking Yeddyurappa?s government to be suspended and President?s rule be established in the state.

BJP however managed tilt the impasse on its side when it won over the 16 rebel MLAs after frantic negotiations and promises of ministerial posts and perks, even as the standoff between the governor and the chief minister continued.

Arun Jaitley, reacting to the Supreme Court ruling that started off the crisis, in an article reportedly said, ?The Supreme Court is final. It is not infallible. Even erroneous views of the courts are binding.?

He went on to say that the governor?s actions were the consequences of an erroneous judgement. ?An erroneous judgement is a challenge to the future to correct the error in to which the judgement has fallen,? the BJP leader said.

Meanwhile, speaking to television channels, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, in Delhi with 121 MLAs to parade his strength and prove his majority, said that the governor had actually helped strengthen the party.