Kerala guv gives nod to one bill, reserves seven for presidential assent

IN an apparent political move on the eve of the Supreme Court considering the state government’s petition alleging inordinate delay by the Raj Bhavan in clearing legislative Bills, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan reserved seven of the eight pending bills for Presidential assent, and granted his nod to the remaining one.

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The Bills referred to the President include the controversial Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill. Khan, who has been accused of inordinately “sitting over” the Bills, made the swift move as the SC had recently ruled that governors do not have the power to veto legislative actions of elected governments or sit indefinitely on the Bills duly passed by the state legislature. While considering the Kerala government’s plea last Friday, the Supreme Court had asked the Raj Bhavan to refer to the recent judgment passed in the case related to the Punjab governor’s inaction on Bills.