No proceedings in Arunachal Assembly till January 18: SC
15 Jan 2016 3:57 AM IST
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that proceedings of the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly will not be held till Friday, as it decided to start hearing on various pleas arising out of certain orders of the Gauhati high court in the ongoing political battle in the state from Thursday.
“Having heard counsel for rival parties, we are satisfied that it would be just and appropriate, if proceedings of the Assembly are not held from now onwards till January 18, 2016,” said a Bench comprising Justices JS Khehar and C Nagappan.
“The instant order be placed by the parties, before His Excellency the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, for his consideration,” the Bench ruled. The Bench, meanwhile, allowed Nabam Rebia, allegedly removed by 14 rebel Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs from the post of Speaker, to take back his plea filed against an administrative order of the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court.
Rebia, who has challenged in the Gauhati high court various decisions of the Governor and Deputy Speaker, including his removal from the Speaker’s post, had alleged that the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court had “erroneously rejected” his plea, filed on judicial side, in administrative capacity. He had also sought recusal of Justice BK Sharma from hearing his plea. The Apex Court will start hearing the other pleas from Thursday.
“Liberty is granted to the learned counsel for the petitioners, to assail the order of the High Court dated January 13, 2016 .... In case, such petition(s) are filed, the Registry shall entertain them, and place them along with these cases for hearing on January 13,” the Bench said.
Rebia was removed from the post of the Speaker by 14 rebel Congress MLAs, disqualified by the Speaker, and BJP MLAs on December 16 in an assembly session presided over by the Deputy Speaker in a Community Hall in Itanagar.
The Deputy Speaker, before removing Rebia from Speaker's post, had also quashed the disqualification of the rebel Congress legislators.
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