The Kerala government is determined to seek legal remedy on the constitutional issue of assent to Bills from the Supreme Court despite Governor Arif Mohammed Khan signing all Bills presented before him. Mr. Khan had signed five pending Bills recently.
The State government had challenged the act of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan referring seven Bills to the President after holding them for long and the act of President Droupadi Murmu withholding her assent to three Bills. The State had also sought guidelines for the Governors to act on the Bills passed by the State Legislatures.
No time limit specified
The State had complained that the Governor had inordinately delayed the decisions on the Bills by taking cover under the constitutional provision that he shall act on the Bill as soon as possible (without specifying a time limit for the same) after it was presented to him.
“There’s no change in the State government’s stance regarding the petitions moved before the Supreme Court. The State was aggrieved by the acts of the President as well as the Governor regarding the Bills passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly and hence challenged them before the apex court. The State hopes to get legal remedy to the constitutional issue from the apex court itself,” said P. Rajeeve, Minister for Law.
Incidentally, Mr. Khan had stated on Saturday that he had signed the Kerala Government Land Assignment Amendment Bill, the Abkari Amendment Bill, the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Amendment Bill, the Dairy Cooperation Bill, and the Kerala Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, which were pending with him, thus deciding on all the Bills presented before him.
Irked govt.
The holding back of some Bills by Mr. Khan for up to two years had strained the relationship between the Governor and the State government. His decision to send some Bills for Presidential assent after holding them back for long had also irked the State government, which took up the matter before the apex court.
Meanwhile, top legal officers of the State are making efforts to list the case before the summer vacation of the Supreme Court. The registry of the apex court may post the case after completing the required formalities, said legal sources.
