GUWAHATI: Manipur Congress president K Meghachandra Singh has moved the High Court of Manipur challenging an order of Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla whereby he had declared his previous order summoning the 7th session of the state Assembly on February 10, 2025 as null and void.
On February 9, the then Chief Minister N Biren Singh had stepped down, just a day before his BJP-led government was due to face a no-confidence motion and a critical floor test.
Meghachandra said the governor had fixed the date of the 7th session of the Assembly for February 10, 2025 in order to comply with the six-month timeline prescribed under Article 174 (1) of the Constitution of India between two sittings of the House.
He argued that the lapse of two days, between February 11, the last day by when there ought to have been a sitting of the House, and February 13 when President’s rule was imposed in the state, was unconstitutional.
Meghachandra had filed a writ petition last month, seeking the dissolution of the remainder of 12th Manipur Assembly under Article 174(2) of the Constitution of India.
On perusal of his petition, the court in an order said the matter involved interpretation of Article 174 of the Constitution and referred it to the Chief Justice “for placing before the appropriate Division Bench in view of the important issues involved in the present writ petition.”
“Registry is directed to place this file before Hon’ble Chief Justice on administrative side for consideration of listing before an appropriate Division Bench. It is made clear that this Court has not issued notice in the present case,” the order further stated.
Earlier, Manipur Congress had stated that even a day beyond the constitutionally permissible limit for a House sitting would amount to a direct violation of Article 174 of the Constitution of India.