Congress seeks clarity from Governor on assembly's status
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, July 22 2025: Congress on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, seeking clarification on the constitutional status of the 12th state Assembly following the imposition of President's Rule on February 13 this year.

The party questioned whether the Assembly is still in existence, dissolved, or deemed constitutionally dissolved since the midnight of February 11 .

It referred to the timeline of events preceding the imposition of central rule, particularly the resignation of chief minister N Biren and the Governor s subsequent cancellation of a proposed Assembly sitting.

Congress seeks clarity from Governor on assembly's status

In the memorandum, Congress pointed out that the Governor had summoned the 7th session of the 12th Assembly for February 10, 2025, to adhere to the six-month limit between two sittings as mandated under Article 174(1) of the Constitution.

The last sitting was held on August 12, 2024, and as per the constitutional requirement, the next meeting should have taken place on or before February 11, 2025, the party stated.

However, on February 9, chief minister N Biren tendered his resignation and the Governor issued an order declaring his earlier notification summoning the February 11 sitting as null and void.

Congress said these two events effectively prevented the Assembly from meeting within the constitutionally mandated timeframe.

Addressing reporters after submitting the memorandum, Congress spokesperson and advocate Ningombam Bupenda Meitei, who was part of the four-member delegation from the party's legal cell, argued that the Assembly was not under suspension when Biren resigned.

Therefore, he said, the constitutional requirements under Article 174(1) remained applicable to the Manipur Assembly.

The party accused the Governor of attempting to bypass constitutional obligations through his February 9 order, which the Congress claimed directly circumvented Article 174(1) and caused a breach of the permissible six-month interval between sessions.

Congress contended that the House should have convened by February 11 and that any deviation, even by a single day, would be a violation of the Constitution.

The party also questioned whether any future attempt by the Governor to summon the Assembly would violate Article 174(1), thereby constitutionally barring him from doing so for the remainder of the 12th Assembly's term.