Arunachal crisis referred to Constitution bench

The Supreme Court on Thursday referred to a Constitution bench a batch of petitions relating to the ongoing political crisis in Arunachal Pradesh.

A bench of Justices J S Khehar and C Nagappan said the matters should be heard by a five-judge bench as the issues pertained to Constitutional provisions on the rights of the Governor, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.

The counsel, appearing for Nabam Rebia who was allegedly removed by 14 rebel Congress and BJP MLAs from the post of Speaker, the deputy speaker and the Governor agreed with the suggestion.

Following the decision, senior advocates F S Nariman, Kapil Sibal and Harish Salve, representing various parties in the matters, rushed to the court of the Chief Justice T S Thakur and sought setting up of the Constitution bench on an urgent basis on the ground that the matter was sensitive and needed to be decided at the earliest. The CJI assured them of an early decision. The apex court had on Wednesday ordered that the proceedings of the state assembly will not be held till January 18.

Rebia was removed from the post of the Speaker by 14 rebel Congress MLAs, who stood disqualified by the Speaker, and BJP MLAs on December 16 in an Assembly session presided by the Deputy Speaker in a Community Hall in Itanagar.

The Deputy Speaker, before removing Rebia from Speaker’s post, had also quashed the disqualification of the rebel Congress legislators.