E-Paper
Bihar House dissolution: SC verdict today
The court's decision to give orders on Friday raises speculation on whether to keep the assembly in suspended animation.
The Supreme Court will pronounce on Friday its order on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the presidential proclamation of May 23 dissolving the Bihar legislative assembly.
A constitution bench comprising Justice YK Sabharwal, Justice KG Balakrishnan, Justice BN Agrawal, Justice Ashok Bhan and Justice Arijit Pasayat had reserved its verdict on September 29.
The bench had made it clear that it would not be possible for the court to give a verdict touching various constitutional issues before October 18, the first phase of polls in Bihar.
It had said that if the court were to decide against the proclamation, it would give a brief order first and pass a detailed judgement later.
The court closes for Dussehra vacation from October 8 and reopens only on October 18.
The court's decision to give orders on Friday raises speculation on whether status quo ante (prior to the dissolution) would be ordered, that is, keeping the assembly in suspended animation.
Senior counsel for the petitioners Soli Sorabjee had urged the court to keep the house in suspended animation to enable formation of a government within a month or two. Otherwise, the state could go for fresh elections.
Sorabjee had said that if the court were to quash the proclamation but not inclined to grant relief, it would send wrong signals to the executive that it could do whatever it wanted and the courts would not do anything.
