A blow to arbitrary action: Sorabjee

Upbeat over the Supreme Court order holding as unconstitutional the presidential proclamation dissolving the Bihar Assembly, former Attorney-General Soli J Sorabjee today said it was a blow to the "arbitrary action" of mid-night dissolution.

"Let us hope there would not be any mid-night dissolution in haste," Sorabjee, who argued the case against the dissolution of the House on the basis of the controversial report of Governor Buta Singh said.

"The proclamation to dissolve the Assembly was based exclusively on the governor's report, which was tainted with malafides and was incorporation of extraneous matters and the corollary of striking down the dissolution is the illegality of the governor's report," the senior advocate said.

Sorabjee said the apex court order was vindication of constitutionalism, democracy and federalism.

"It is a blow against arbitrary action of midnight dissolution," he remarked.