Centre considering conducting floor test in Uttarakhand

The Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it was considering the suggestion for conducting floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly in right earnest.

However, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi sought two days for taking a stand on the issue.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh, however, clarified that if the court directed deposed Congress party chief minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority, it would not restore the  status quo ante.

“Let's be very clear. Respondent no 1 (Rawat) shall pass the floor test. It has to be on the basis of Jharkhand model (SC judgment in 2005)...the understanding is there would be no status quo ante,” the bench said.

The court’s indication meant that even if the direction for revoking President’s Rule and for floor test in the Assembly was passed, Rawat government would not get revived immediately before proving majority and there would be composite floor test.

Senior advocates A M Singhvi and Kapil Sibal, appearing for Rawat, submitted that the floor test could be held for the incumbent chief minister only. “The chief minister was removed, there could be confidence vote only, any opposition party cannot be called for proving majority,” Singhvi contended. The Attorney General, however, submitted that these issues would be debated on Friday.