Governor Gehlot returns 3 Bills to Karnataka govt seeking more clarity

Bengaluru: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot returned three bills, including the Panchayat Raj and Rural University (Amendment) Bill, on Friday seeking more clarity on the legislation.

This is the second time Gehlot is returning the bill that purportedly seeks to curtail the governor’s powers.

The other two returned legislations are the Mysore Authority Development Bill, 2024 and the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development University (Amendment) Bill was tabled and discussed during the Winter Session of the state legislature in Belagavi. One of the amendments proposed in the Bill entrusted the power of appointing the vice-chancellor to the chief minister, effectively divesting it from the governor. The Bill also proposes replacing the governor as the university’s chancellor with the CM.

The bill has been returned to the government in January seeking more clarity.