Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi drags Center in SCI for seeking resignation

New Delhi, India (August 21, 2014): There are reports that Uttarakhand governor Aziz Qureshi has challenged Narendra Modi led BJP government’s jog asking him to quit the post of governor. Aziz Qureshi has reportedly moved to the Supreme Court of India (SCI).

It is notable that many governors, appointed during the Congress party led UPA government, were asked to resign by newly formed BJP government in India. Some of the government adhered to Government’s “advise” and resigned from their posts. But Aziz decided to take on the government, questioning the home secretary’s “audacity” in calling him up and asking him to put in his papers.

In his petition, that has reportedly been listed before a bench headed by SCI chief justice R M Lodha for urgent hearing, Aziz has said that under Article 156(1) of the Constitution, “the governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President” and that he would hold office for five years if he continued to enjoy the confidence of the President.

Aziz said if at all someone should ask him to quit, it could only be the President and no one else.

“The governor, as has been consistently ruled by the Supreme Court, was not an employee of the Union government” Aziz has pleaded in his petition.

The petition has reportedly cited various Supreme Court judgements in which SCI had said that governors were not employees of the Union government to warrant removal on the ground of loss of “confidence” in them.