SC stays high court order of quashing Presidential rule in Uttarakhand till April 27

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed Uttarakhand High Court order of quashing presidential rule in the state. The apex court will hear the case again on April 27. The High Court yesterday ordered restoration of the Rawat-led Congress Government in the state, saying that the Centre did not have any concrete proof to impose the President’s rule. The High Court asked Rawat to prove his government’s majority on the floor of the assembly on the April 29. Rattled by the Uttarakhand High Court’s order, BJP chief Amit Shah and senior ministers on Thursday went into a huddle and decided that the government will move the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the judgement quashing the proclamation of President’s rule. After the meeting, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who was present in the meeting, said he will mention the matter before the bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur on Friday and seek a stay on the HC verdict. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, a legal luminary himself, Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, besides Rohatgi met at Shah’s house and deliberated on the implications of the HC order and the options before the party and the government. Source said that Jaitley, who returned from the US earlier in the day, and others felt that there were enough grounds to challenge the order which is being seen as a big blow to the Modi government.