Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan sends 7 bills to President ahead of Supreme Court hearing
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sent 7 bills for presidential assent while approving one more bill today. This comes ahead of the Supreme Court's hearing on the delay in giving assent to bills passed by the legislative assembly.
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FollowThiruvananthapuram: Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on withholding of bills tomorrow, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday (Nov 28)Â sent seven bills passed by the State Assembly to the President for assent. This comes amid a case against the Governor in the apex court for the delay in approving the bills passed by the Kerala Assembly.Â
The SC had earlier sought a reply from the Centre and the Governor's office regarding a plea by the Kerala government accusing the latter of not giving his assent to several bills passed in the Legislative Assembly. Â The remarks of senior lawyer K K Venugopal, who claimed that the governor was taking too long to consent to eight bills, were noted by a bench that included Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
The Lokayukta Bill, Universities Act Amendment Bill (two bills), Chancellor Bill, Co-operation Act Amendment Bill, Search Committee Expansion Bill and Co-operation Bill (MILMA) have been sent for presidential assent. Meanwhile, the Governor approved the Public Health Bill.Â
The Bills have been waiting for seven to twenty-three months, senior attorney KK Venugopal had told the top court. Under Article 168, the Governor was a member of the State Legislature. The Governor could not act in a way that was contrary to the wishes of the elected representatives of the people.
"This is an endemic situation. The governors do not realise that they are part of the legislature under Article 168 of the Constitution," Venugopal said.
According to the Kerala administration, the governor's refusal to give his approval is causing the bills to languish and thereby "defeating the rights of the people."
