New Delhi: The stay on Uttarakhand High Court's order revoking President's rule will continue for the time being as the Supreme Court fixed May 3 as the next date for hearing in this matter.
It means that the there will be no floor test in Uttarakhand on April 29 and President's Rule in the state will continue for the time being.
Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi argued against any floor test on April 29 and pointed out that it would defeat the appeal of the central government against the High Court order.
Nainital High Court had quashed President's Rule in Uttarakhand and asked the Harish Rawat government to prove its majority on the floor of the house on April 29.
Once the hearing begins again in Supreme Court, the Attorney General will his arguments on May 3 and 4. On May 5, Abhishek Manu Singhvi will put his submissions on behalf of Harish Rawat.
The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on May 12.
SC poses 7 'tough' questions to Centre over imposition of President’s Rule in Uttarakhand
Earlier, the Supreme Court today asked the Central government 7 ‘tough’ questions about its decision to impose President’s Rule in Uttarakhand as it resumed hearing on its petition challenging Nainital High Court’s order restoring the Congress government in the hilly state.
“Can a delay in the floor test be ground for proclamation of President’s rule in state?” the court asked Centre.
The court also asked the Centre that what was the stage of Appropriation Bill and when Central rule was came into effect.
“Whether disqualification of MLAs by the Speaker is a relevant issue for the purpose of imposing President’s rule under Article 356?” it asked.
“Proceeding in the Uttarakhand Assembly can be taken note by the President for imposing President’s rule,” it further asked the Centre.
An apex court bench headed by justice Dipak Misra had on Friday stayed the Uttarakhand High Court’s verdict reinstating the Harish Rawat government in the state till Wednesday. The Nainital High Court had reinstated the Congress government and ordered him to face floor test on April 29.
The stay order that revived President’s rule in Uttarakhand, came after attorney general Mukul Rohatgi gave an undertaking that the Centre will not revoke President’s rule until April 27.
The political crisis in Uttarakhand started on March 18 when 9 Congress MLAs, along with 27 BJP legislators, met Governor KK Paul at the Raj Bhavan in Dehradun, and sought the dismissal of the Harish Rawat government. Rawat had, however, maintained that he enjoyed a majority in the 71-seat Uttarakhand Assembly. Following this, Paul gave Rawat a deadline of March 28 to prove his majority in Assembly but the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre imposed President’s Rule in the state saying the Assembly failed to pass the Budget.
