PR in Arunachal Pradesh SC asks Centre to respond by Friday
Source: The Sangai Express / Courtesy TNN
New Delhi, January 27 2016:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Government over the imposition of President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh and asked it to submit its response by Friday.
During the hearing, the apex Court asked Arunachal Pradesh Governor to submit before it the report on the basis of which he recommended the imposition of President's Rule in the State.
The apex Court has asked Governor JP Rajkhowa's counsel to send its reports on e-mail and place them in Court in 15 minutes.
The Court gave the order during an emergency hearing of a petition filed by the Congress against Central rule in the North Eastern State.
The matter is likely to be heard next on February 1 .
The fresh plea assumes significance as the five-Judge bench is examining Constitutional provisions of the scope of the Governor's discretionary powers, even as the Nabam Tuki Government battles for survival because of rebel Congress MLAs.
An earlier plea filed by Nabam Rebia, who was allegedly removed from the post of Speaker by rebel Congress and BJP MLAs in an Assembly session held at a community hall in Itanagar on December 16, has listed legal questions, including the Governor's power to convene an Assembly session without the aid and advice of the Government.
It was also alleged that the Governor had advanced the Assembly sitting from January 14 to December 16 without the aid and advice of the Chief Minister and his council of Ministers.
The Congress, which has 47 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, suffered a jolt when 21 of them rebelled.
Eleven BJP MLAs backed the rebels in a bid to upstage the Nabam Tuki Government.
Later, 14 rebel Congress MLAs were disqualified.
The Governor then called an Assembly session on December 16 during which the Deputy Speaker revoked the disqualification of 14 rebel Congress MLAs and removed Rebia from the post of Speaker.
This sitting was held in a community hall in Itanagar.
Various decisions of the Governor and the Deputy Speaker were challenged by Rebia in the Guwahati High Court which passed an interim order keeping in abeyance these decisions until February 1 .