HC reserves order challenging Rawat's continuance as MLA

The Uttarakhand High Court has reserved its judgement on a petition challenging Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat's continuance as a member of the State Assembly on grounds of holding offices of profit.
The single bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhuliya reserved the judgement after hearing the case yesterday, informed the Counsel of the petitioner BJP MLA Ajay Bhatt who is Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
In April, BJP submitted a memorandum to the Governor questioning the constitutionality of Rawat occupying the post of chairman of Tarai Seed Development Corporation despite being the state agriculture minister.
The BJP delegation of which Bhatt was a part, had demanded Rawat's disqualification as a member of the House on the ground of holding office of profit.

The controversy led the state government to promulgate an ordinance dropping three posts held by Rawat from the ambit of offices of profit with retrospective effect to save the minister, prompting opposition BJP to go to court challenging both the justification of the ordinance and Rawat's continuance as an MLA.