Supreme Court Questions Kerala Governor’s Inaction on Bills Over 2-Year Period

The Supreme Court expressed its dissatisfaction with Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan for not taking action on bills passed by the state legislature for two years. The court stated that it will consider establishing guidelines on when governors can refer bills to the President of India for assent. It was noted that the governor has made decisions on eight bills, but the court advised him to meet with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the concerned minister to discuss the legislations. The court questioned why the governor had not taken any action on the bills for two years. The Attorney General representing the governor’s office stated that seven bills have been reserved for consideration by the president, while one has been given assent by the governor. The court allowed the Kerala government to amend its plea seeking guidelines for state governors to grant or decline assent to bills in a timely manner. The court hoped that political sagacity would prevail in the state, but emphasized that it is ready to lay down the law if necessary. The plea filed by the Kerala government was kept pending by the court, which decided to consider laying down guidelines on the issue. The court also referred to a recent verdict in Punjab’s case, where it held that state governors cannot hinder the normal course of lawmaking. The Kerala government claimed that the governor’s delay in granting assent to the bills was depriving the people of their rights and welfare measures.