Uttarakhand crisis: Action now shifts to the court room, a day before the floor test

An embarrassed central government has rushed its legal eagles including Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to appear before a larger bench of the Uttarakhand High Court to appeal against the interim order directing a floor test in the state Assembly.  

The Congress too will be moving court to appeal against the single bench of Justice U C Dhyani’s order allowing the nine rebel MLAs to vote on March 31.

Senior lawyers from Delhi including Additional Solicitors General Maninder Singh and Tushar Mehta are also accompanying Rohatgi at Nainital.  

The Centre was initially keen to move the Supreme Court straightaway but the Congress’ decision to appeal before a three judge bench in the High Court, has prevented it from doing so.

The court ruling has confounded legal experts as to how despite imposition of President's Rule, it ordered a trial of strength.

“This is unprecedented", said a government official. What has also led to confusion is how the court gave the nine disqualified rebels the right to vote.

Speaking to reporters in Nainital, Congress legal eagle, and senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Wednesday said: "Separately counting or allowing the nine MLAs to vote is an error and we may take legal recourse.The rest of the order is recognition of the Central government's methodology to try and short circuit the floor test, the vote of confidence and the speaker's adjudication."

He added, that President's Rule in Uttarakhand was not accepted at all prima facie in the interim order of the court, it was virtually a legal slap on the face of the Central government.

The Congress claimed that it had been vindicated with the court permitting a floor test. “Just the date has changed from March 28 to March 31,” said Singhvi.