SC stays Uttarakhand HC judgement quashing President's Rule

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Uttarakhand High Court judgement that quashed the declaration of President's Rule in the State till April 27.

Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi assured the SC that President's Rule will not be revoked and that BJP would not form the government in Uttarakhand till April 27.

"We are only making the judgment of the Uttarakhand HC not implementable till the copy of the judgment is out," said Justice S.K.Singh about the stay.

In a short mentioning earlier, Mr. Rohatgi had said that judgment was dictated in the courtroom by the High Court Bench but a copy was not yet out. “The special leave petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Friday morning. We are worried about what will happen between today and Monday... you can’t have a judgment delivered without a copy,” Mr. Rohatgi had submitted.

"How can you allow the Centre's appeal by ordering a stay without even having the copy of the judgment you are staying?," senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal asked.

"How can the Centre say that the CM who has been restored by Uattarakhand HC should not function?," asked Dr. AM Singhvi appearing for Harish Rawat.

The Centre had earlier moved the Supreme Court against the Uttarakhand HC's decision.

The High Court Bench led by Chief Justice K.M. Joseph had quashed President's Rule in the State and ordered that a floor test be held in the Uttarakhand Assembly on April 29, 2016, where former Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s claim of having majority support could be put to test.

The judgment came amidst apprehensions raised by former Chief Minister Harish Rawat in an application filed on April 7, 2016 in the High Court that the Centre may revoke the President's rule before the court's verdict and install a BJP government.