Decks cleared for revocation of PR in Arunachal

New Delhi, February 18 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the decks for the revocation of president’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh as it vacated its own order of status quo passed on Wednesday.   The central government on Wednesday held back its decision to revoke President’s Rule in the wake of the status quo order passed by the apex court. The revocation will allow formation of a new government likely to be headed by the rebel Congress leader Kalikho Pul.   The apex court constitution bench, headed by Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, vacated the status quo order after examining the original records relating to the proceedings leading to the disqualification of 14 rebel Congress lawmakers and finding that the notice informing them about their intended disqualification was neither served on them nor pasted on their premises.  

Vacating its status quo order, the court asked the Gauhati High Court to hear the plea, pending before it, against the disqualification of 14 rebel Congress lawmakers. The court had summoned the original records on Wednesday which reached the apex court.   “Having seen the original records we are not inclined to interfere with the interim order (passed by the Gauhati High Court on January 7, staying the disqualification of 14 MLAs),” the apex court said in its order. The high court’s January 7 interim order had come on the petition by the then deputy speaker T. Norbu Thongdok.   The court said that “any action (including the formation of new government) taken in the meantime would be subject to the outcome of the matter before the high court”.