Kochi/Kozhikode: Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev on Sunday said the Supreme Court verdict setting a time limit for Governors regarding bills passed by State Assemblies is a judgement that upholds democracy.
He said the Apex Court judgement came after thoroughly examining the practices in other countries, past verdicts, and the recommendations of various commissions, including the Sarkaria Commission, the Punchhi Commission, and the Venkatachaliah Commission.
"As a law student, I feel that it is a very well-covered judgement, which has examined all aspects comprehensively. It further strengthens the basic tenets of the Constitution, including democracy and federalism," Rajeev told reporters in Kochi.
He said that it would support all future legislative endeavours by the Assemblies in passing laws.
The Supreme Court has made it clear that the Governor must act in accordance with the interests of the state, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan also lauded the top court’s verdict related to bills passed by the legislature.
"Even in the backdrop of rising fascist tendencies in India and the ongoing attempts by the Narendra Modi government to implement a corporate Hindutva agenda, the Supreme Court judgement gives the nation hope in the rule of law," he told reporters in Kozhikode.
It was once again made clear that the judiciary possesses the ability to intervene appropriately.
The agenda of saffronisation is being implemented using Governors as tools, Govindan said, after visiting Varghese Chakkalakal, the newly appointed Archbishop of the Kozhikode Archdiocese.
In a verdict that puts clear limits to gubernatorial powers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday set a timeline for governors to act on Bills passed by state Assemblies.
The judgment, by a Bench of judges J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, is considered a shot in the arm for states, especially Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Punjab, which had flagged the issue of their governors holding on - for presidential assent - to several Bills passed by the legislatures.
The Tamil Nadu government had moved the Supreme Court against Governor R N Ravi's repeated delays and refusals to assent to state legislation.
The statements from Rajeev and Govindan came in wake of Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar's reported remarks that the Supreme Court ruling was an "overreach by the judiciary".
Arlekar made the comments in an interview given to a national daily, in which he reportedly said that the matter should have been referred to a Constitutional Bench by the Division Bench that delivered the ruling.