New Delhi– In a major setback to the state government, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has withheld assent to three legislative bills sent by the Kerala Governor. The statement from the Rajbhavan comes hours after the President’s office gave the nod for the Kerala Lokayukta (Amendment) bill.
The bills in question are the Kerala University Law Bill 2022, which aims to replace the Governor from the position of Chancellor of universities in the state; the University Law Amendment Bill 2022, which proposes alterations to the composition of search committees for university appointments; and the University Law Amendment Bill 2021, focused on governance changes within the state’s technology universities.
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‘This is a vindication for us who had always been raising the matter where the LDF government is trying to bypass the constitutional laws through amendments in the assembly. Even after being passed in the assembly now that the 6 bills are being withheld by the Honourable President is the right lesson for the Pinarayi Vijayan government which was trying to subvert the laws in their favour so that they can appoint their party cadres in the government posts by using the public exchequers money”, said senior BJP leader Rajagopal.
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The latest development is a significant setback to the CPI (M)-led government which had approached the High Court against the orders passed by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan over the appointments of Vice Chancellors and university professors by the state government and the search committees formed by the state government.