Supreme Court to hear plea against imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh

Supreme Court will hear today a petition challenging imposition of President's rule in Arunachal Pradesh. The petition has been filed by Congress Party. In its petition filed on Monday, the Congress accused the Governor of working at the behest of the Centre to topple its government. 

President Pranab Mukherjee yesterday gave his assent to imposition of central rule in Arunachal Pradesh. Two day back, Union Cabinet had recommended President's Rule following the political crisis in the state. 

Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Mr. Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday evening and understood to have apprised him of the reasons behind the Cabinet's decision.

On Sunday, the Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju had said there is a constitutional crisis in the state as the six month mandatory period to have an assembly session lapsed on 21st of this month. He said, the continuation of the present Congress government in the state is unconstitutional and therefore President's rule



has been recommended.

In December last year, Arunachal Pradesh was rocked by a political crisis as 21 rebel Congress MLAs joined hands with 11 of BJP and two independents to impeach Assembly Speaker Nabam Rebia at a makeshift venue. 

27 MLAs in 60-member Assembly, including the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues, had boycotted the proceedings. A day later, in an another turn of events, opposition BJP and rebel Congress MLAs congregated in a local hotel to vote out Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and to elect a rebel Congress MLA in his place but the Gauhati High Court intervened to keep in abeyance decisions taken at the rebel group meeting. 

The Court had observed Prima facie the Governor's decision to advance the Assembly session to December 16, 2015 for taking up the impeachment proceedings against the Speaker was in violation of of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has referred a batch of petitions on the Arunachal Pradesh crisis to a Constitution Bench.