Uttarakhand battle shifts to Delhi, Centre to move Supreme Court

The battle for Uttarakhand has shifted to Delhi with the Centre set to move the Supreme Court on Friday challenging the High Court order that revoked President's rule in the State.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said he will mention the matter before the Supreme Court in the morning and seek a stay on the verdict which has revived the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat.

"The High Court was wrong in quashing the Presidential notification. The Presidential notification is based on relevant material," he said on Thursday, hours after the Uttarakhand HC ruled that the imposition of President's rule was contrary to the law laid down by the apex court.

The HC bench added that Article 356 imposing President's rule should be used as a matter of last resort and directed a floor Test in the Assembly on April 29.

While the BJP went into a huddle following the HC verdict, the Congress in the hill state celebrated.

"We welcome the high court decision. This is a victory for the people of Uttarakhand,” Chief Minister Harish Rawat said.

The Congress at the Centre used stronger words, with spokesperson Randeep Surjewala saying the verdict was a slap on the face of the Narendra Modi government.

With nine rebel Congress MLAs ineligible to vote in the floor test the advantage is with Rawat, though the BJP claimed they will get the numbers.

"We are not surprised by court order. BJP will prove majority on April 29. Today also we are saying Rawat is in minority," said BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.

The political crisis in Uttarakhand started in March when nine Congress MLAs rebelled against the Rawat-led government and rallied with the BJP. On March 27, just ahead of a trust vote in the Assembly, the Centre imposed President's rule in the State.