Judicial Showdown: Kerala vs. Governor in Bill Standoff

The Supreme Court is set to decide on transferring Kerala's petitions against the governor for delaying bill approvals. The state argues the governor's actions hinder governance. There's growing pressure to establish guidelines on when governors should refer bills to the President, amid concerns of political overreach.

The Supreme Court announced on Tuesday its intention to consider the transfer of Kerala's petitions to a different bench concerning the delays by the governor in approving bills passed by the state assembly. Senior advocate K K Venugopal, representing the Kerala government, appealed to a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, emphasizing the urgency of these pleas, which might be moved to a bench led by Justice J B Pardiwala.

During the session, it was noted that the governor has been referring bills to the President, with delays extending up to one year and three months. Recently, two bills were rejected, underscoring the urgency of the situation, Venugopal highlighted.

The Supreme Court had earlier expressed concern over the former Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's extended inaction on bills, stressing the need for guidelines regarding when governors should escalate bills for presidential assent. The apex court is urged to set boundaries to ensure governors are cooperative rather than adversarial in legislative affairs.

(With inputs from agencies.)