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New Delhi/Nagpur: The day-old President’s Rule in Arunachal Pradesh is under scrutiny in the Supreme Court, which today asked to see the state governor’s report citing a “Constitutional breakdown” and also asked the Center to reply to its notice by Friday.
- The court described the Arunachal Pradesh crisis as “too serious” and a matter of gravity as it insisted that it needs to examine the report described as “confidential” by Governor JP Rajkhowa.
- The governor’s counsel told the court that the report can be shared with the judges but not the Congress, which has challenged President’s Rule. The judges said they would decide after reading it.
- The governor’s counsel had also pleaded that it would take time to produce the report in court, to which the judges said: “You have given this report indicating an emergency situation as to why President’s Rule needs to be imposed. So please produce the report.”
- President Pranab Mukherjee signed off on central rule for Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday after the Centre strongly recommended it and also gave an in-person clarification.
- The Centre went by the advice of the governor, who had reportedly said that law and order had severely deteriorated in the state, an assembly session had not been held in six months and that lawmakers had been denied access to the Assembly.
- The Congress government of Nabam Tuki had faced dissidence for months. In December, the party nearly split in half with 21 of its 47 lawmakers teaming up with 11 BJP members in December to try and remove the Speaker and the Chief Minister.
- The rebels “impeached” the Speaker and also passed a no-confidence vote against the Chief Minister, choosing their leader Kalikho Pul instead. The session was held at a community hall and a hotel because the state assembly had been locked up on the Speaker’s orders.
- Mr Tuki, a two-time Chief Minister who first took charge in 2011, has charged the BJP with organising the rebellion and destabilizing an elected government.
- The Congress, which rules eight other states, has also accused the Arunachal governor of acting like a “BJP agent” by advancing the assembly session by a month to December 16, to help the rebels.
- The Speaker went to the Gauhati High Court, which suspended the decisions but eventually dismissed his petition. The Speaker then moved the Supreme Court.
