Notice to Centre for ‘forcing’ Uttarakhand Governor to quit
22 Aug 2014 7:54 AM IST
Governor was threatened to resign from the post or face removal
Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi. (Photo: PTI/File)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the Centre on the plea of Uttarakhand Governor challenging the government’s moves to ease him out of office.
The apex court also issued notice to home secretary Anil Goswami who had allegedly threatened Governor Aziz Qureshi to resign from the post or face removal by Centre.
A bench headed by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha granted six weeks time to the Centre and Mr Goswami to file their response on the allegation levelled by the Governor and referred the case to five-judge Constitution bench.
Mr Qureshi is the first Governor to move SC against the Centre which has sacked two Governors. Four other Governors by UPA have resigned since the NDA came to power. The SC observed that a Governor holds the post only during the pleasure of the President and someone has to convey the feeling of the President as he is not supposed to call himself.
Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid and two former additional solicitor generals, however pleaded that Constitution provision of Article 156 has not been followed and home secretary threatening the Governor is unconstitutional. Mr Qureshi said in his petition that Centre and the home secretary should be asked on whose behest he was threatened.
( Source : dc correspondent )
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