The Kerala Government has dismissed the petitions on the Kerala Land Assignment (Amendment) Bill forwarded by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as “speculative ones” which cannot be entertained.
The Kerala Government made its position clear to the Governor in its reply furnished the other day.
The stand may further escalate the stand-off between the Governor and the State Government as Mr. Khan had insisted that he would sign the Bill only after the government replied to the petitions. The Governor had also complained that the government had not replied to the petitions despite three reminders from Raj Bhavan.
Changed social circumstances
While refusing to entertain the representations, the State informed the Governor that none of the provisions of the Bill derogated the powers of the High Court or was repugnant to any Central laws. The State justified the Bill by stating that the amendment was necessary to address the needs of common people considering the changed social circumstances six decades after the Land Assignment Act was passed.
It also took the position that the apprehensions of the petitioners were mere speculations which cannot be attributed any credence.
The government further added that it was bound to act within the framework of the provisions of the Act and may consider issues of public interest while framing the rules for the Act, sources said.
The delay in the Governor acting on the Bill passed by the Assembly last year had blown up into a full-scale face-off between him and the Kerala Government with the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) calling for a hartal on January 9 in Idukki, the day when Mr. Khan attended a public function in the district. The CPI(M) had also taken out a Raj Bhavan march on the day protesting against the Governor.
Interestingly, the State Government had earlier refused to offer clarifications to a few objections, which were also forwarded by the Governor, raised by some quarters against the Kerala Public Health Bill, 2021.
Meanwhile, top legal officers in Kerala said that the Governor could not sit on the Bill on the grounds that the government had not responded to the queries forwarded by him. The Governor can act on a Bill only according to the provisions laid down by the Constitution, they added.
