Patna HC to hear petitions challenging new Nitish Kumar govt

Patna: The Patna High Court will on Monday hear two PILs challenging the formation of the new government by Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) along with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The HC had admitted the petitions on Friday.

Two PILs were filed and their lawyers made a mention of them before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice AK Upadhyay ahead of the crucial trust vote the Nitish Kumar government had to take in the Bihar Assembly.

One petition was filed by Samajwadi Party member Jitender Kumar and the second by Rashtriya Janata Dal legislators Saroj Yadav and Chandan Kumar Verma.

The petitions sought the court’s order for issuance of a direction to invite the leader of the single largest party to form a government in the state.

They contended that the mandate in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls was given to the Grand Alliance of the JD-U, RJD and Congress led by Nitish Kumar against the BJP and that it was to rule for five years.

They have also said that the Rashtriya Janata Dal is the largest party in the state Assembly but Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi did not invite it to form the new government after Nitish Kumar resigned on Wednesday after he dumped the Grand Alliance.

The petitions said that as this was against the Constitution, the court should intervene and dismiss the newly formed Nitish Kumar government formed with the BJP's support.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday had a smooth sail in the confidence vote in the Bihar Assembly.