Supreme Court restores Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Arunachal Governor J P Rajkhowa's decision to advance the Assembly session for former Congress CM Nabam Tuki was illegal and unconstitutional, and set into motion a political merry-go-round of sorts when it restored status quo in the state.

That means sitting CM Kalikho Phul will have to step down and allow Tuki to come back into office to take a trust vote. Since now Phul has a majority,

Tuki may lose and eventually Phul may be sworn in as CM. Lawyers said that the change in the ground situation in the sensitive border state will lead to horse trading by political parties keen to returning to power.


A constitution bench, comprising Justices J.S. Khehar, Dipak Misra, Madan B. Lokur, Pinaki Chandra Ghose and N.V. ramana, went by the rule book and quashed the unconstitutional actions of the Governor and the Deputy Speaker which had led to the fall of the Tuki government.

The court spoke of the need of constitutional authorities to practice propriety and non-partisanship, in an indictment of the conduct of the state Governor and Deputy Speaker who the Congress had accused of conniving with the ruling BJP at the Centre to oust Tuki.

But in directing Tuki to be restored as CM, the court has only set the stage for another round of horse-trading among political parties that adds to the political uncertainty in the state.

But other lawyers, who defended the Congress case, said that the judgement was salutary and the ruling dispensation at the Centre will think twice of misusing the Governor's office to topple a popular government.

The ruling made several adverse references about the conduct of the Governor and the CM.