In the backdrop of the Supreme Court terming the Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s conduct of prolonged inaction on key bills as ‘unconstitutional’, the Karnataka Cabinet is likely to discuss and decide on approaching the apex court for delay in according sanction to bills by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
Currently, six bills are with the Governor’s office awaiting assent while seven that were sent to the Governor have come back to the government for clarifications. Four bills have been reserved by the Governor for the assent of the President of India.
Discussion likely
Government sources aware of the development said that the Cabinet that is scheduled to meet on Friday will discuss future action that the Karnataka government could take, with respect to keeping bills pending and seeking clarifications in the State that has become habitual since the Congress government came to power.
The Governor and Congress government in the State have been at loggerheads on multiple occasions in the past year. While according sanction of prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah last year had become a big flashpoint, several Cabinet Ministers had accused the Governor of indulging in politics by withholding assent to 11 bills in 2024.
Recently, the Governor wrote to the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to highlight the vacancy at the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag, for nearly nine months even as he returned the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to replace him as the chancellor of the university.
‘Beyond his brief’
Sources said that the government holds that the Governor is going beyond his brief by seeking clarifications to a number of bills. “He is supposed to reject or given assent to a bill. If the rejected bill is adopted by the legislature again, he will have no option but to give assent. Unnecessarily, he has been seeking clarifications thus delaying the bill.”
It may also be mentioned here that the Governor has cleared 32 bills between January and April, 2025.
‘A warning bell’
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the Supreme Court’s judgment declaring the Governor’s prolonged inaction on Bills passed by the legislature erroneous and illegal a “warning bell” to the Centre.
The Supreme Court judgment has cleared all doubts on the limits of the Governor’s powers and responsibilities, and the governors in non-BJP state governments have been acting as “puppet” in the hands of the Central government, he said. This has reduced the dignity of the Raj Bhavan as well, the Chief Minister said in a statement.
Socio-economic survey on agenda
The vexed Socio Economic and Education Survey (Caste Census) conducted by Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, headed by H. Kantharaj, is likely to be discussed in the Cabinet. Sources aware of the development said that the subject for discussion on the survey is listed on the agenda.
While the Congress in its manifesto had promised to implement the caste census, the issue had divided the party leaders as those from dominant land owning Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities have opposed the census findings, that are yet to be made public, terming it ‘unscientific’.
Over the last few months, CM Siddaramaiah had on multiple occasions announced that the survey report would be discussed, but nothing has emerged.
Published - April 09, 2025 08:05 pm IST
