Restoration of Congress government in Arunachal

Restoration of Congress government in Arunachal

“Nabam Tuki government should be restored” is what the honourable Supreme Court of India has said. The verdict by five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on 13th July, 2016, headed by Justice JS Khehar, set aside Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa’s message directing that the assembly session be brought forward from January 14, 2016, to December 16-18, 2015, and the manner the session was conducted. The SC bench also ordered that the status quo ante as prevailed on December 15, 2015n be restored in Arunachal Pradesh assembly — which in effect restored the government of Chief Minister bam Tuki. Justice Khehar said the Governor’s order dated December 9, 2015, advancing the assembly session was violative of Article 163 read with Article 174 of the Constitution and as such was liable to be quashed. The Tuki-led government was dismissed after 21 of the 47 Congress MLAs rebelled against him. Arunachal Pradesh was placed under President’s Rule on January 26. My persol opinion on the matter is that it is a great victory of democracy and the Constitution. The way the BJP rocked the State government and misused the office of the Governor has been exposed by the Supreme Court. We are proud of our Judiciary. The verdict once again proved that in India the rule of law prevails. The verdict is extremely embarrassing for Aruchal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa. Had I been in his place, I would have resigned. The BJP government at the Centre may not like the verdict, but they have no choice because this judgment is from the Supreme Court of India.

Debajit Goswami,

House No.34, SBI Officers’ Colony

Ambikagiri gar, Guwahati-24.

Landmark ruling on AFSPA

The Supreme Court’s judgment on the Armed forces in Manipur is historic, as an important step has been taken towards scrapping of the draconian law from Manipur. The decision of the apex court is observed as a victory of civil rights groups as well as the families of victims of extra-judicial killings. It was very much significant when the apex court ruled that indefinite deployment of armed forces in a “disturbed area” under AFSPA mocks at our democratic processes and symbolizes failure of the state machinery.

The Centre’s opinion that Manipur faces constant threat of a war-like situation from militant outfits, hence justifying the heavy deployment of armed forces in the state, was also fittingly rubbished by the apex court. It is indeed a matter of great concern that the state machinery along with the army have failed to restore normalcy in Manipur for the last six decades. The apex court is also correct in ordering a probe into 1,528 cases of alleged fake encounters in Manipur in the last 20 years.

It is worth mentioning that the government of Tripura completely lifted AFSPA from the state in 2015 and replaced it with good governce and accountability. For the Northeastern states to develop and progress, the “disturbed area” tag must be removed and talks with militant outfits should be initiated with a strong political will.

The order by the Supreme Court is a welcome step in extending the rule of law and fundamental rights to an area which has been ruled with an iron fist for decades.

Himangka Kaushik,

Guwahati.