Uttarakhand HC quashes President's rule: 10 things to know

Thursday's decision came after the court said that the legitimacy of the President's decision was subject to judicial review

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The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday quashed the Centre's proclmation imposing President's rule in the state and ordered a fresh floor test on April 29.

The order, which has reinstated Harish Rawat as the chief minister of the state, came after the court, earlier on Thursday, said it would be a "travesty of justice" if the Centre recalls its order imposing President's rule in the state and allows someone else to form a government now.

Continuing its hearing for the fourth day, the court also told the Centre that it could allow ousted Chief Minister Harish Rawat's petition challenging the imposition of President's rule and ensure that a floor test is held.

Thursday's decision came after the court, just a day before, said that the legitimacy of the President's decision to suspend the Uttarakhand Assembly was subject to judicial review as even he could go wrong. 

The 'Uttarakhand crisis' has seen the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) duke it out in the hilly state across the months of March and April. 

Here is a how the events unfolded: 

1) March 18: Then Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat, on the night of March 18, 2016, faced a rebellion from nine of the 36 ruling party legislators in the 70-member state assembly. The nine MLAs were seeking his dismissal.

The nine Congress members joined the 28 BJP members in demanding dismissal of the Rawat government, saying he'd lost the majority. They also sat on a dharna in the well of the House.

Led by agriculture minister Harak Singh Rawat, the MLAs walked over to the BJP camp.

2) March 19: Barely a day after the rebellion, the BJP had said that the Uttarakhand government, led by Chief Minister Harish Rawat, has lost the confidence of its legislators and should be dismissed.

"The governor should dismiss the Rawat government in Uttarakhand. It has no moral right to remain in power as it has lost the confidence of its MLAs," BJP secretary Srikant Sharma had said. 

On the same day, then chief minister Rawat had said that the Congress in the state was ready to prove majority in the House. 

The whole affair, was of course far from being over, even as Uttarakhand Governor Krishna Kant Paul wrote to Rawat that very day, asking him to prove majority in the House by March 28.

3) March 20: Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal issued notices of expulsion to the nine rebel MLAs, asking them to reply in less than a week's time. These notices were pasted on the walls of the houses of these MLAs.

The BJP and the rebels, on their part, served a notice for removal of the speaker, saying that he had lost the confidence of the House. 

4) March 21: The first indications that the BJP would go for President's rule in the stae camne when, on March 21, BJP leaders from the state, along with the nine rebel Congress leaders, met President Pranab Mukherjee and asked him to dismiss the state government.

"Will tell the president to dismiss the current government in Uttarakhand as they have lost majority. Harish Rawat is now trying to buy people in a fit of desperation to gain support, but he will not succeed. It is his streak of corruption that has led to this situation," BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had said. 

Rawat, for his part, responded by rubbishing the allegations of corruption made by the BJP and described the part's activities in the state as the "murder of democracy".

5) March 26: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who was heading the rebellion against Chief Minister Harish Rawat, demanded the dismissal of the state government and sought imposition of President's Rule in the state.

The BJP also renewed its demand for the government's removal after citing a "sting operation" in which Rawat was purportedly shown bargaining with rebel party MLAs to win over their support during the floor test in the Assembly on March 28.

6) March 27: Uttarakhand was brought under President's rule by the Centre on grounds of "breakdown of governance". 

President Pranab Mukherjee signed the proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution, dismissing the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat and placing the Assembly under suspended animation on the recommendation of the Union Cabinet.

The Cabinet had held an emergency meeting last the previous night and come up with the recommendation. 

The political situation in Uttarakhand is a "textbook example of breakdown of governance," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said on that very day. 

The Congress condemned the move and termed it as a "black day" for the country and "murder" of democracy.

The very same day, the speaker of the House cdisqualified all the nine Congress rebels from Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha. 

7) March 28: Former chief minister Harish Rawat moved the Uttarakhand High Court seeking revocation of President's Rule in the state and restoration of his government. Additionally, Rawat termed the Modi government's decision to impose President's rule as a "brazen display of high-handedness and authoritarianism".

8) March 29: The Uttarakhand High Court told former chief minister Harish Rawat to take a floor test in the Assembly on March 31.

9) March 30: The Centre moved the Uttarakhand High Court challenging an interim order by a single bench directing a floor test in the Assembly on March 31, days after President's Rule was imposed in the state.

In response to the Centre's petition, a two-judge division bench of the Uttarakhand High Court stayed the floor test on the Assembly floor. 

10) April 20: Questioning the Central government's assertion on the political crisis in the hill state, the Uttarakhand High Court told the ruling dispensation that even the president can go wrong.

"There is no decision like that of king, which can't be subject to judicial review. That's the essence of Constitution. Even the President can go wrong, everything is subject to judicial review," the High Court said.