"Some Governors Playing Role Where They Ought Not To...:" Supreme Court Judge ()
While delivering a closing keynote address at the National National Law School of India University (NLSIU)-PACT conference on Saturday, Supreme Court judge Justice B.V. Nagarathna flagged concerns about the role governors are playing in administrative functions of the state governments. Speaking on the topic ‘Home in the Nation: Indian Women’s Constitutional Imaginaries,’ Nagarathna said, “In today’s times unfortunately some of the Governors in India are playing a role where they ought not to and are inactive where they ought to be.”
Notably, governors in many opposition-led states are at loggerhead with elected governments. The top court judge said the cases involving governors before the Supreme Court is a sad story.
The differences between governors and elected governments have been creating bottlenecks in the smooth functioning of the administration for some governments, especially in the opposition-ruled Indian states.
Amid allegations of the attempt to dismantle the federal structure by the ruling BJP at the centre, Kerala and Tamil Nadu recently moved the Supreme Court against their respective governors, alleging that the constitutional head of state is withholding assents to crucial bills, causing stagnations in the functions.
Noting the governors should act as neutral and that they do not belong to any political party, Justice Nagarathna said that certain functions are expected to be discharged by the governors, suggesting that some governors omits their constitutional duties. “The governing idea is to place governor above party politics, above factions, and not to subject him to the party affairs,” he said.
Since Congress assumed power in Karnataka, the state government has been in conflict with the governor. The state government recently passed a resolution condemning Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot’s decision to issue a show cause notice to chief minister Siddaramaiah in connection with alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment scam.
