HC orders floor test for Harish Rawat govt

Top Congress leaders Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Kapil Sibal moved the High Court in Nainital on Monday morning against the imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand, reports said.

Reacting to the verdict, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said: "Modi government, which wants to subjugate federalism,break democratic tradition, is given befitting ans in shape of judicial verdict."

The President's rule was imposed in Uttarakhand on Sunday on the ground of constitutional breakdown, a day before state CM Harish Rawat was to have faced a floor test in the state assembly to prove his majority following revolt of nine Congress lawmakers.

Governor KK Paul's reports on the political situation and on a sting operation against  Rawat, is said to have prompted the decision.

Rawat has called it a "murder of democracy," while his party, the Congress has said it  will challenge the decision in court.

Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal disqualified the nine lawmakers who had defected from the Congress under the anti-defection law. That would have allowed the Rawat government to sail through the trust vote.

But the rebel lawmakers, who were enjoying direct support from BJP MLAs,  released a sting video on Saturday, alleging that CM Harish Rawat was attempting horse-trading to save his government. In the video,  Rawat is purportedly seen talking to the owner of a news channel about lawmakers being brought to his side through bribery.

 Rawat has rejected the video as fake.