Irked with the attitude of Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan sitting over important bills, the state government moved the Supreme Court against her. A total of 10 important bills were not cleared for the past five months by the Governor. Neither they were returned with any query.
The officials of the state government and Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy met the Governor and clarified her doubts over the proposed common board of recruitment for the universities but in vain.
The Governor sitting over the bills amounted to disrespect to the Assembly, a constitutional institution.
The bills include – the Azamabad Industrial Area (Termination and Regulation of Leases (Amendment) Bill 2022; Telangana Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Telangana Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2022; the University of Forestry Telangana Bill 2022; Telangana Public Employment (Regulation of Superannuation Age) (Amendment) Bill2022; Telangana Universities Common Recruitment Board Bill2022; Telangana Motor Vehicle Taxation (Amendment) Bill 2022; Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Bill 2023.
Challenging the inordinate delay in clearing the bills by the Governor, the chief secretary on behalf of the state government filed a 194-page petition in the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution. The delay prevented the state government from extending welfare and development to the people.
The attitude of the Governor disdaining the decisions of the State Cabinet and the Assembly amounted to nothing but contempt towards the democratically elected government, the ruling party leaders opine.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao