SC seeks opinion on Bihar dissolution

The Supreme Court today asked the attorney-general of India to submit his opinion on the Bihar imbroglio on Friday when it will hear petitions by four newly elected legislators and some public interest petitions.

Senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi challenged the decision of the Bihar governor Buta Singh to dissolve the assembly exactly when a scheme to form a democratically elected government was in sight.

The counsel argued before the Bench consisting of Justice P V Reddi and Justice Arijit Pasayat that the governor should have tried to revive democracy.

Justice Pasayat asked counsel whether the scheme should be based on "licence for horse-trading?" Justice Reddi observed that there was no list of the legislators who supported any particular leader and there was no assertion that the governor was aware of any realignment of the MLAs.

When Rohtagi referred to media reports, the judges countered by saying that the reports also talked of "poaching and luring" of legislators, and therefore, the reports cut both ways.

The Bihar legislators who have challenged the dissolution of Assembly are Rameshwar Prasad Chaurasia (BJP), Kishore Kumar Munna (Ind), Rampravesh Rai (JD-U) and Anil Kumar (breakaway LJP).