SC notice to Centre on President's Rule in Arunachal Pradesh, seeks reply by 29 January

Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on the imposition of President’s Rule in the state after the Congress party and the Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia sought the apex court’s intervention in the matter. The SC also directed the Centre to respond to its notice by 29 January, or next Friday. The next hearing is on 1 February. Earlier, in a dramatic move, the apex court asked the office of the Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa to submit its report within 15 minutes on the basis of which the President’s Rule was imposed on the state dismissing the Nabam Tuki-led Congress government in the state. [caption id=“attachment_2600474” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Supreme Court of India. Reuters[/caption] The apex court bench headed by Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar which is hearing the matter asked the counsel for Arunachal Pradesh Governor to furnish immediately his report that led to imposition of President’s rule in the state. The SC also wanted to know as to why it was not apprised about the latest development. Meanwhile The Hindu reported that Justice JS Khehar, one of the judges on the bench, noted that there were several defects in the Congress’s plea including a shortfall of Rs 800 in the court fee paid to the Supreme Court Registry. The report also quoted Khehar as saying, “they (Registry) have also objected to the font used…. what font have you used here…” The fresh plea was mentioned for urgent hearing by senior advocates Fali S Nariman and Kapil Sibal. The bench, meanwhile, asked the lawyer to remove the defects, pointed to by the apex court registry, as early as possible. The petition has been filed by the state Congress chief whip Rajesh Tacho. In the petition, there has been a challenge to the report and the recommendation of the Union cabinet for promulgation of President’s Rule in the state. The fresh plea assumes significance as the five-judge bench is examining constitutional provisions on the scope of discretionary powers of the Governor, amid continuing month-long impasse over Tuki’s government in Arunachal Pradesh. In 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 16 December, has listed out legal questions, including the Governor’s power to convene the assembly session without the aid and advice of the government for adjudication by the apex court. It was also alleged that the Governor had advanced the assembly sitting from 14 January to 16 December without the aid and advice of the Chief Minister and his council of ministers. Congress, which has 47 MLAs seats in the 60-member assembly, suffered a jolt when 21 of them rebelled. Eleven BJP MLAs backed the rebels in the bid to upstage the Nabam Tuki government. Later, 14 rebel Congress MLAs were disqualified. The Governor then called assembly session on December 16 in which Deputy Speaker revoked 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 Gauhati High Court which passed an interim order keeping in abeyance these decisions till February one. With inputs from PTI