The former Chief Minister Harish Rawat, on Friday moved the Uttarakhand High Court against an ordinance by the Centre for allowing expenditure in Uttarakhand after the Centre considered the Appropriation Bill as “not passed” in the Uttarakhand Assembly.
Mr. Rawat, represented by senior lawyer and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, claimed in the High Court that the Appropriation Bill was passed in the Uttarakhand Assembly on March 18 even as the Opposition BJP and nine rebel Congress MLAs voted against it. However, the BJP has said that Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal showed the Bill as “passed” when majority of votes were against it.
Negating the Centre's stance on the Bill, Mr. Sibal argued in the court that the Union government provoked Parliament “deliberately” and “illegally” to issue the ordinance allowing expenditure in the State, while the Appropriation Bill was passed in State Assembly. The next hearing on the case would be held on April 6.
Mr. Sibal also stated in the court that he wished to challenge the prorogation of Parliament by the Centre for which the court granted him time until April 4.
The nine rebel Congress MLAs had approached the High Court against their disqualification from Assembly by the Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. The court which began hearing their petition on Friday, posted it for further hearing on April 11.
