In SC, Kerala seeks norms for Governors on reserving Bills
- Kerala has moved the Supreme Court seeking to lay down guidelines for the Governor in case of reservation of Bills
Key Highlights
- In Supreme Court, Kerala questions Governor’s decision to refer 7 Bills to President
- Kerala pointed out that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan sat on eight Bills that were passed by the State Legislature even up to three years.
- Later, the Governor sent seven of the eight Bills for the consideration of the President without examining each one of them and giving reasons as to why it was necessary to reserve them.
Article 200
- It prescribes that the Governor may exercise the option of sending the Bills to the President, withhold the assent or return it to the Assembly as soon as possible.
Article 201
- It states that when a Bill is reserved for the consideration of the President, the President may assent to or withhold assent from the Bill.
- The President may also direct the Governor to return the Bill to the House or Houses of the Legislature of the State for reconsideration.
Recent Instances
- The TN Governor forwarded the Bill for exemption from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to the President after considerable delay.
- In Kerala, the Governor publicly announced that he would not give assent to the Lokayukta Amendment Bill and the Kerala University Amendment Bill.
Prelims Takeaway
- Article 200
- Article 201