SC declines to entertain plea against J&K assembly dissolution

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition challenging Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik’s decision to dissolve the state assembly and impose Governor’s rule.

“We are not inclined to entertain,” said a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul as senior counsel Jaideep Gupta told the bench that Malik dissolved the assembly even though there were two letters before him staking claim to form the government.

Appearing for Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Gagan Bhagat in the now dissolved House, Gupta referred to an earlier judgment of the top court which said that Governor should have made every effort to examine if a government can be formed before exercising the extreme option of dissolving the elected assembly.