Former Karnataka chief minister Bommai passes away

Pics by Aakash Polali - Daijiworld Media Network Bangalore

Bangalore, Oct 10 (IANS):  Former Karnataka chief minister S.R. Bommai died at a private hospital here after long illness, his family sources said. He was 81.

The Janata Dal stalwart was the chief minister of the state for a short term from Aug 3, 1988 to April 21, 1989.

(File Photo)

The veteran politician was one of the famous quartet of the Janata pariwar in the state along with former Janata Dal chief ministers - Ramakrishna Hegde, H.D. Deve Gowda and J.H. Patel.

Bommai, a native of Hubbali in north Karnataka, was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the Hubbali rural constituency. He became the chief minister of Karnataka on August 13, 1988, before being removed from power on April 21, 1989.

Bommai was also the president of the All India Progressive Janatha Dal and a Union minister. Bommai will be remembered for the role he played in the unification of Karnataka when the state was divided into the Mysore kingdom, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency.

Bommai's case was cited by the Union government before imposing President's Rule in Karnataka recently.

When S R Bommai was removed as the chief minister by the governor of Karnataka in 1989 without being given an opportunity to prove his strength on the floor of the House, he had moved the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court in a landmark judgment, called the S R Bommai case, ruled that no government can be dismissed without being given an opportunity to prove its strength on the floor of the House.

The court in this case also ruled that the House cannot be dissolved unless both Houses of Parliament approve the same.

It was due to the guidelines laid down in this decision that the House in Karnataka was not dissolved and kept under suspended animation instead recently.