Centre Agrees to SC-Monitored Floor Test in Uttarakhand on May 10

The Central Government has agreed to hold a Supreme Court-monitored floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly. The vote of confidence will take place on May 10 but the court also ruled that the nine disqualified Congress MLAs cannot take part in the proceedings.

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, whose government was dismissed by the Centre on March 27, will seek the vote of confidence in the Assembly.

The floor test will be held between 11 am and 1 pm in a special session of Uttarahand Assembly and the agenda will be whether Harish Rawat enjoys the confidence of the House or not. The proceedings will also be be videographed and result of the floor test will be produced before the apex court on May 11.

President's rule will be temporarily lifted for 2 hours in Uttarakhand when the vote of confidence will take place. The Uttarakhand Director General of Police and the Chief Secretary have been directed by the court to maintain law and order in the state.

The court will hear the matter again on May 11 and will decide whether Rawat will continue as Uttarakhand chief minister or not.

During the trust vote, members voting in favour of motion shall singularly vote and raise hand one by one and that will be counted by Principal Secretary, Assembly. Those in favour of the motion will sit on one side of the House and those against on other side.

During the hearing, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi favoured a former Chief Election Commissioner or a former judge as an observer to oversee the voting process.

Earlier, the apex court had asked the Centre to respond to its suggestion about the feasibility of holding a floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly under its supervision.

The Nainital High Court on April 21 declared the President's rule imposed in the state on March 27 as unconstitutional. The court had also ordered the floor test on April 29.

But the Centre moved the Supreme Court and on April 22, the apex court ruled that there would no floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly on April 29. The court also ordered that President's rule in the state would remain in force till further hearing.

The SC had also said it would try to give a verdict by May 13.