SC Sends Notice To Centre, Kerala Guv Over 'Delay' In Governor's Assent To Bills

The Supreme Court has sent notice to the Centre and Kerala governor's office over the alleged delay in giving assent to eight bills passed in the state assembly.

SC's notice to Centre and Kerala Governor over 'delay' in giving assent to bills passed by the assembly.

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The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and the office of the Kerala Governor over the 'delay' by the Governor in giving assent to the bills passed by the Kerala assembly. The notice came in response to the Kerala government's plea urging the court to pass appropriate orders in relation to the inaction on the part of the Governor for giving assent to eight bills passed in the State assembly.

This comes days after a row erupted in Kerala and Tamil Nadu over alleged delay by the state Governors in responding to bills sent by the state assemblies for final approval.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday claimed that the state government has not been responding to the queries raised against the land reform bill, news agency ANI reported. 

In its plea, the Kerala government said inaction on the governor's part in relation to eight bills passed by the state legislature while many of these bills involve immense public interest and provide for welfare measures that would stand deprived and denied to the people of the southern state to the extent of the delay, as per PTI

"The petitioner -- state of Kerala -- in fulfilment of its parens patriae obligation to its people, seeks appropriate orders from this court in relation to the inaction on the part of the governor of the state in relation to as many as eight bills passed by the state legislature and presented to the governor for his assent under Article 200 of the Constitution," the plea read.

"Of these, three bills have remained pending with the governor for more than two years and three more in excess of a full year. The conduct of the governor, as would presently be demonstrated, threatens to defeat and subvert the very fundamentals and basic foundations of our Constitution, including the rule of law and democratic good governance, apart from defeating the rights of the people of the state to the welfare measures sought to be implemented through the bills," the plea filed by the Kerala government further said.