Taking a scathing view of the ongoing constitutional crisis in the state, the Uttarakhand High Court rapped the Union Government on its knuckles on Tuesday. The HC asked the Centre if it was going to look with a “magnifying glass” for an “opportunity” to impose President’s rule in state assemblies, as reported by The Indian Express.

The court also said that even the President could go wrong at times, and that his decision should be subject to judicial review.

With this development in the long chain of events, the options before the Central Government have become even more limited, said senior Supreme Court lawyer, KTS Tulsi. Speaking to Newslaundry, Tulsi said, “The options are limited for the Centre now, and they may want to cut their losses. They may preempt an impending decision on the same by the High Court.”

The constitutional crisis in Uttarakhand can be traced back to March 18, when nine Congress MLAs and 27 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs went to the Governor, seeking the Congress government’s dismissal.

Rawat was given nine days to prove his strength in the Assembly. However, a day before the floor test was to happen, President’s Rule was imposed in the state, bringing the Union Government under a lot of criticism.

Today, the Uttarakhand High Court quashed President’s rule in the state and said that the Centre had acted in “blatant falsehood.” The Court expressed its dismay at the government’s behaviour bluntly:

“Otherwise you can do this in every state. Impose President’s Rule for 10-15 days and then ask someone else to take oath. More than angry, we are pained that you are behaving like this, that the highest authority — Government of India — behaves like this. How can you think of playing with the court?”

Ouch.