After holding back 3 Kerala Bills, President Murmu withholds assent for another

While the number of Bills withheld by the President has gone up to four, a decision on two others is awaited. The remaining two are about the appointment of vice-chancellors in universities — assent for similar Bills has been already withheld.

After the Assembly passed the Kerala Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan had rushed a letter to Governor Khan urging him not to sign it, which according to him, was meant to sabotage the election for MILMA. The Bill allowed voting rights for nominated members, allowing them to control MILMA. Governor Khan had then said it was undemocratic to give voting rights to nominated members, who are not engaged in the dairy sector or milk cooperative societies.

Last week, the President had withheld assent for three Bills passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly, including the Bill envisaged to divest the governor from the position of chancellor of state universities. However, the President had cleared the Kerala Lok Ayukta Amendment Bill, 2022, curtailing the powers of the anti-corruption watchdog, bringing relief for the government which gets the power to either reject or accept the ombudsman’s reports.

Amid the friction between Governor Khan and the Kerala Government, eight Bills passed by the State Assembly in the last two years have been pending with Raj Bhavan.

In November last year, the Kerala Government had moved the Supreme Court against the Governor after he either did not give his consent for the Bills or referred them to the President, highlighting the delay in the clearing of Bills passed by the Assembly. Until then, eight Bills were pending with Khan.

Subsequently, Khan gave his assent for one of the eight Bills, the Kerala Public Health Bill, pending with him. He had reserved the rest of the Bills for presidential assent.