Congress moves High Court against President's Rule in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat is likely to meet the Governor KK Paul on Monday.

Dehradun: The Congress moved High Court on Monday against President's Rule in Uttarakhand.

Harish Rawat's petition came up before the single bench of Justice UC Dhyani, who after hearing both sides, said the matter would be taken up again tomorrow.

The petition, filed on Rawat's behalf by his counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, has questioned the Centre's decision bringing the hill state under President's rule.

Singhvi appeared on behalf of Rawat, while Rakesh Thapliyal represented the Union government.

Additional Solictor General Tushar Mehta will argue the case on behalf of the Union government tomorrow.

Singhvi, a senior Congress leader and party spokesman, argued that circumstances were not suitable for invoking article 356 of the constitution and imposing President's rule in the state.

The Centre had brought the state under President's rule citing a Constitutional breakdown in the wake of a rebellion in the ruling Congress.

President Pranab Mukherjee had signed the proclamation under Art 356 of the Constitution dismissing the Congress government headed by Rawat and placing the Assembly under suspended animation yesterday on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.

The Centre was of the view that continuance of the Rawat government was "immoral and unconstitutional" after March 18 when the Speaker declared the Appropriation Bill "passed" in controversial circumstances without allowing a division pressed for by 35 MLAs, including 9 rebel Congress legislators.

The Union Cabinet had held an emergency meeting here last night presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had cut short a visit to Assam to return to the capital for the purpose.

The Cabinet considered several reports received from Governor, who had described the political situation as volatile, as per PTI.

Meanwhile, Rawat yesterday condemned the imposition of President's rule in the state as a "murder" of democracy and the Constitution and had said that PM Modi's hands were dipped in the "blood" of the "trampled" aspirations of the people.

Alleging that central rule was a result of a "premeditated conspiracy" hatched by the Centre to dislodge a democratically elected Congress government in the state, Rawat had also said the BJP was "thirsty for his blood" right from the day he assumed office on February one, 2014 and did not want his government to stabilise.

On the other hand, Congress had said yesterday that it would challenge the decision in court.

Senior party leader Kapil Sibal had said that President's Rule was imposed a day before the floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly as the Centre knew that Chief Minister Harish Rawat would be able to prove his majority.

"We will approach the courts. We will file a petition challenging the imposition of President's Rule in the state and demand its revocation," he had told reporters.

"We will explain the law to them in court. We will show the court that the people in the central government are the ones responsible for destabilising every state which is under Congress rule because their policy is to have 'Congress mukt Bharat'. I am shocked that any government which believes in democracy and believes in the Constitution would seek to wipe off the legacy of a party," Sibal had said, alleging that BJP is a "past master in the art of horse-trading".

(With Agency inputs)