Kerala Governor returns ordinance to remove him as chancellor without signing

Thiruvananthapuram:Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has returned the ordinance seeking to remove him as the chancellor of Universities in the State, without signing it. The Governor returned the ordinance as the government had made it clear that it would bring in legislation to this effect in the coming assembly session, starting from December 5. It was against this backdrop that the Governor said the ordinance is irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Kerala legislative assembly Speaker AN Shamseer said there’s nothing unnatural about the Governor returning the ordinance.  The Governor has been firm in his stand that he will not sign the ordinance as it dealt with curtailing his power as chancellor. Delivering a snub to the LDF government the other day, the Governor had maintained that the Chancellor post was not a favour bestowed by the state government, but was as per a consensus at the national level.

He had also said that the state Government’s decision to snatch the Chancellor’s power from him was beyond the government’s ken. Earlier, Shamseer exuded confidence that the Governor would sign the bill being passed by the Legislative Assembly as well as the other bills pending before him.