Uttarakhand HC seeks Centre reply on budget ordinance case by April 5

01 April, Dehradun

The Nainital High Court Friday asked the Centre and other parties to send their response by April 5 on a petition filed by dismissed chief minister Harish Rawat challenging the Union government’s passing of Uttarakhand budget ordinance.

Senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who argued the case of Mr Rawat, said the court has sent notice to the Centre and would hear the case, including the stay plea, on April 6 now.

In his about 4-hour-long arguments, Sibal had questioned the need for the Centre to bring the ordinance when the elected assembly had already passed the Appropriation Bill on March 18.The issue of whether the Appropriation bill was actually passed by the assembly on March 18, when nine Congress rebel MLAs had stood with BJP against their own government, is one of the most crucial aspect regarding imposition of President’s rule in the state, which has been challenged in the court by former finance and parliamentary affairs minister Indira Hridyesh and 32 other legislators.

Rawat has, during media interactions and public meetings, strongly accused the BJP-led Centre of ”hijacking” the budget in which his government had prepared a roadmap for all-round development of the state and special provisions for needy and underprivileged sections.