Plea for declaring Governors can't withhold bills indefinitely declined

MP | 30 Nov 2022 | Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a plea seeking a declaration that a Governor has no power to indefinitely withhold bills passed by the state assembly. 

A bench of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly dismissed the PIL, according to information available on the high court website, which had also sought directions to the Centre to amend the Constitution to prescribe a time limit within which the Indian President or Governors have to take a decision on the bills placed before them for assent. 

The detailed order giving reasons for dismissal of the plea is not yet available. The PIL, which was filed on Tuesday, had also sought a declaration that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan's action of withholding six bills – including the Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill and University Laws (Amendment) Bill – indefinitely, without exercising any of his discretionary powers provided under Article 200 of the Indian Constitution, was "contumacious, arbitrary, despotic and antithetical to the democratic values". 

Article 200 of the Constitution provides the discretionary powers of the Governor with regard to giving assent to bills enacted by the state assembly. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/nation/plea-for-declaring-governors-cant-withhold-bills-indefinitely-declined-500730