Uttarakhand crisis: Harish Rawat moves court, seeks revocation of Prez Rule

He termed the Modi govt's decision as a brazen display of high-handedness and authoritarianism

Former chief minister Harish Rawat today moved Uttarakhand High Court seeking revocation of President's Rule in the state and restoration of his government, terming the Modi government's decision as a "brazen display of high-handedness and authoritarianism".

A day after the decision to impose President's Rule for which Centre cited a Constitutional breakdown in the wake of a rebellion in the ruling Congres in the state, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi filed a petition on Rawat's behalf seeking high court's intervention to quash invocation of article 356 in Uttarakhand which was "illegal".

Singhvi said, "Invocation of article 356 in Uttarakhand is absolutely illegal, arbitrary and malafide and therefore its invocation should be quashed and Harish Rawat Government restored."

Questioning the timing of the move which came just a day before the Rawat government was to go for a floor test, Singhvi said it was meant to sabotage the Constitutional process.

After hearing both the sides for close to four hours, the single bench of Justice U C Dhyani of the high court said the hearing will continue tomorrow.

Additional Solictor General Tushar Mehta will argue in the court on behalf of the Union government tomorrow. Rakesh Thapliyal represented the Centre today.

Singhvi argued that circumstances were not appropriate for invoking article 356 as there was no constitutional breakdown.