Pinarayi govt plans legal action against governor, seeks Advocate General's advice

The Kerala government is planning to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the withholding of bills by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has taken legal action against Governor Arif Mohammad Khan for not deciding on the bills passed by the Assembly. The law department secretary has sought advice from the Advocate General. The Governor has the authority to give or withhold assent to a Bill or reserve it for the President's consideration under Article 200 of the Constitution, which the government believes the Governor violated.

The Constitution further provides that the Governor may, as soon as practicable after receiving a bill for assent, return it to the House along with a statement asking that the House examine the bill as a whole or any particular section. The Governor, according to government sources, has not chosen any of these constitutional clauses but has been excessively postponing the choice.

The state government is planning to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the withholding of bills.

The Kerala Public Health Bill, which was presented on March 3, 2023, is the most recent of the nine bills, with the University Laws (Amendment) Bill 2021, which was submitted for the Governor's assent on November 12, 2021, having the longest outstanding status. Additionally waiting for approval are the Kerala Private Forest (Vesting and Assignment) Amendment Bill 2023, Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill 2022, and Kerala Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill 2022.