The State government was bound to follow the Supreme Court verdict regarding the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple, Governor P. Sathasivam has said.
He made the comment during an interaction with mediapersons at his farewell ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday.
“If any individual or political party is aggrieved, they are free to approach the Supreme Court saying that it have exceeded its limits and ask the court to modify it. In some cases, it has modified too. It is not proper on my part as the Governor to comment on this any more. The matter is still subjudice, as the review petitions are pending,” he said.
Relations with govt.
On his relationship with the State government, he said that he knew the powers, functions and duties of a Governor, as someone from the judicial background, and it was not meant to intervene in anything and everything.
“I have been getting grievances from a lot of people. I try to assure them that remedial measures will be taken. People are expected to make a formal complaint. If there is inaction on the part of the police, they can go to the court or meet the Governor. If there is inaction or any excess, courts are adjudicating on it. In all these five years, I have been by and large satisfied with how the aggrieved parties are getting relief from the government or the court. If there is some serious law and order issue or inaction by the government, then report can be sought, otherwise it is not advisable for the Governor to intervene,” said Mr. Sathasivam.
Nothing for publicity
In his farewell speech, he narrated a recent instance of a Rajya Sabha MP requesting him to visit Kavalappara, which had witnessed massive landslips, and give some directive to the government.
“From day one, our Ministers, the Chief Minister and officials had visited the spot and tried their level best. Of course, a few persons are still missing. But since they are already giving a lot of assistance, there was no need for the Governor to go there just for publicity. When the elected government is doing a good job, there is no need for the Governor to show his head outside,” he said.
Campus violence
Mr. Sathasivam said that the recent instances of violence at the University College were not good. He had sought reports from the authorities within hours of the incident.
In the following days, officials and the Minister for Higher Education were invited to brief about the situation. The Chief Minister had also submitted an interim report. The Governor had also informed the Opposition parties of the steps that were taken.
“I have not denied appointment to anyone with a genuine grievance. Not that everything was resolved, but a genuine attempt was made,” he said.
Judiciary’s independence
To a question on whether the Central government was intervening in the functioning of the judiciary, Mr. Sathasivam said that the judiciary was functioning independently.
He said that the allegations that the Governors acting as agents of the Centre were factually not correct.
“In Kashmir, there is no elected government. The Governor is the head of the State. So he has to make a statement informing the public. There is nothing wrong in it. No one can go against the Constitution. I don’t think the Central government pressurised the Governor to do something or not,” he said.