HC to pronounce verdict on Nagaland floor test tomorrow

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The Kohima Bench of Gauhati High Court today reserved its verdict for tomorrow on the directive by Nagaland Governor P B Acharya asking Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to seek a floor test.
The court had on July 14 stayed till today the governor's directive asking Liezietsu to seek the floor test on or before July 15.
Liezietsu had argued in his plea that the governor's directive was, on the face of it, "unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary and violative of the basic features of the Constitution."
It said the process of by-election, Liezietsu is contesting, is already underway and therefore it was "imperative and incumbent" upon the governor to call upon the petitioner to prove his majority on the floor of the House only pursuant to the by-election wherein the petitioner is a candidate.

The chief minister alleged the governor "virtually sought to strangulate" the will of the council of ministers and used his office to suit his political aims.
There was no recommendation from the council of ministers for a floor test, and the governor of his own volition chose to "impose" the impugned decision upon the petitioner "without any legal foundation and against constitutional norms", the petition added.

The state's Nagaland People's Front government is witnessing a feud between the incumbent chief minister and his predecessor TR Zeliang.
Zeliang had to resign some time ago following violence over opposition to women's reservation in municipal bodies.

Liezietsu is not a member of the state assembly and his son Khreihu had recently vacated his seat to enable his father become an MLA.
Zeliang had recently paraded 43 MLAs before governor Acharya in support of his claim to form government following which the latter had ordered a floor test.