Modi should stop interfering with elected govts: Kejriwal on U’khand HC verdict

Terming the Uttarakhand High Court order setting aside President’s Rule in the state as a “huge embarrassment” to the Narendra Modi government, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the Prime Minister should stop “interfering with elected governments and respect democracy”.

“This is a huge embarrassment to Modi Govt. He shud stop interfering wid elected govts and respect democracy (sic),” Kejriwal tweeted.

The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday quashed the imposition of President’s rule in the state and revived the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat, who has been asked to prove his majority on April 29.

Coming down heavily on the Centre for the March 27 proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution, a division bench of the high court headed by Chief Justice K M Joseph said the imposition of the President’s rule was contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court. 

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said the High Court order was a “befitting reply” to the Centre’s decision of imposing President’s Rule.

“The Centre needs to think over it (the imposition of Uttarakhand) after the High Court judgment. They tried to do a similar thing in Arunachal Pradesh. But the High Court gave its judgment against a dictatorial government.

“The country also needs to think whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become a threat to the world’s largest democracy,” Singh said.

Singh also raised concerns over a possible horse-trading ahead of floor test on April 29. 

Harish Rawat has been asked to prove his majority on April 29.

Allowing ousted Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s petition challenging the Presidential proclamation, the Bench, also comprising Justice V K Bist, observed that the material considered for imposing President’s Rule “has been found wanting”. 

Upholding the disqualification of nine dissident Congress MLAs, the court said they have to pay the price of committing the “Constitutional sin” of defection by being disqualified. 

“In the present case which was set into motion with March 18 as day one and saw a proclamation being issued in less than ten days brings to the fore a situation where 356 has been used contrary to the law laid down by the Apex Court.

“The material (considered for the proclamation) has been found wanting and justifies judicial review interfering with the proclamation,” the court said.