After Supreme Court's Tamil Nadu Governor verdict, Kerala hopes to revive bills withheld by President

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the President has already decided to withhold six bills referred  by former Kerala Governor Arif Khan, Kerala hopes to revive those bills by questioning the Governor's powers to reserve the bill for President's decision.

Khan had reserved seven bills for President Droupadi Murmu's consideration in 2023 November of which the President gave nod for the one bill on amendments to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act. Six other bills, including those pertaining to removing the Governor from Chancellor post of universities, were withheld by the President.

Kerala law department sources said that Kerala had already challenged the Governor's powers in reserving bills passed by the state assembly for President's nod, especially on matters that are not pertaining to central-state relationship. State advocate general K Gopalakrishna Kurup held talks with  senior lawyer K K Venugopal who is representing Kerala government in the Supreme Court.

"Though the President already withheld Kerala bills, it might not be a hurdle for Kerala to take advantage of the SC order in the Tamil Nadu's case. In our petitions we have clearly challenged the Governor's decision to reserve those bills for the President's nod. Now the SC had also questioned the power of the President and governors to veto bills. Hence Kerala has high hopes on the recent orders in Tamil Nadu's case," a senior law department official told DH.

Meanwhile, there are concerns that the Centre may move legally against the SC verdicts in the Tamil Nadu case. Kerala's case is now scheduled to be considered by May 13 only.