All eyes are now on the Uttarakhand High Court in Nainital with the hearing slated to be held on Wednesday in the petition filed against the imposition of President’s rule in the State. Meanwhile, re-presenting the side of former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, the advocate on Tuesday filed a counter-affidavit in the High Court in response to the affidavit submitted on behalf of the Union Government in the petition challenging imposition of President’s rule in Uttarakhand.
As directed by the High Court, an affidavit was also filed on behalf of the State’s Vidhan Sabha speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal on the same day. In the affidavit, Kunjwal reportedly states that all demands of the legislators had been approved by voice-vote and the then finance minister got the departmental budgets passed in the House and the Appropriation Bill was also passed and had been sent through the parliamentary affairs ministry to the Uttarakhand Governor on March 19. It further states that the Vidhan Sabha speaker has complete authority and freedom to conduct the House under article 212 of the Constitution of India.
Meanwhile, all eyes in the State and national level politics are on the Uttarakhand High Court which will hold a hearing on this case on Wednesday. Representatives of various national and regional television channels and newspapers have already reached Nainital for coverage of the HC hearing.
Advocating on behalf of the Union Government in the case, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi and former law minister Kapil Sibal advocating on behalf of Harish Rawat are expected to arrive in Nainital by helicopter on Wednesday morning for the hearing.
The petition filed on behalf of former Chief Minister Harish Rawat against imposition of president’s rule in Uttarakhand will be heard by the High Court division bench of chief justice KM Joseph and Justice VK Bist.
In addition to this, hearing in the petition filed by rebel MlAs challenging their disqualification from the Vidhan Sabha by assembly speaker GS Kunjwal is slated for hearing on April 11.