Stung by Governor sitting on Bills in the past, Kerala finds comfort in SC verdict on Tamil Nadu’s Ravi

Vijayan, in a statement, said the Supreme Court verdict upholds the federal system and the democratic rights of the Assembly. “The Supreme Court had made clear several times in the past that governors are bound to act as per the advice of the cabinet. In Tuesday’s verdict, it found that the Supreme Court had fixed a deadline for ratifying the bills. This verdict is a warning against the tendency of governors usurping the powers of the legislative assembly. This is the victory of democracy,” he said.

“We have a similar situation in Kerala where consent for the bills had been withheld for even 23 months. The state is in a legal battle against it. This verdict underscores the significance and importance of such issues raised by Kerala,” he said.

When Khan served as Kerala governor, eight bills passed by the Assembly from 2022 to 2023 had been pending with Raj Bhavan. After Khan neither gave his assent to the bills nor referred them to the President, the Government in November 2023 moved the Supreme Court against him, highlighting the delay in clearing the bills passed by the assembly.

The Supreme Court had then observed that Governors could not “thwart the normal course of lawmaking”. Khan then gave assent to one bill and referred seven for presidential assent.

Last year, the President cleared four bills, but assent was withheld for three, including one envisaged to divest the governor from the position of chancellor of universities in Kerala.