Governer Files Petition Challenging Dissolution Of Jammu And Kashmir Assembly

A writ petition was registered by the Supreme Court on Friday, challenging the dissolution of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly by Governor Satya Pal Malik, seeking an ex parte stay on his “illegal” act. The dissolution came just as the National Conference, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress had joined hands to form the government and make public their claim on twitter.

None of the parties, however, chose to go to the court against the Governor’s snap decision to dissolve the Assembly. Rather, the challenge to the dissolution has come from a sulking former BJP MLA, Gagan Bhagat from RS Pura. His writ petition, which was registered by the Apex Court on Friday, came as a surprise as the BJP had hailed the Governor’s decision.

Malik’s contention is that there was no reason to dissolve the Assembly when two groups were staking claim to form the government, one of the NC, PDP and the Congress combine and the other led by People’s Conference leader Sajjad Lone. “An opportunity should have been given to form the government,” Malik said.

This former MLA had embarrassed the BJP in August when he supported Article 35A that the party wants scrapped to enable people from anywhere in India to settle in Jammu and Kashmir. Asserting that Article 35A is beneficial to the people of the state, he said nobody will go to the Kashmir valley even if the Article is scrapped, but people will mass up in the Jammu region as part of the BJP’s political strategy to settle its supporters in the region.

Bhagat is not new to controversies. In July, his wife had accused him of having an extramarital relationship with a college student and allegedly marrying her, after which the BJP asked him to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee. The disciplinary action was initiated on a complaint from an ex-serviceman that Bhagat had allegedly abducted his daughter from Punjab, a charge that was denied by both Bhagat and the girl he had married.
Inputs from Freepressjournal