Kerala in SC against Prez

The petition questions President Murmu withholding assent to four bills passed by the Assembly

The Kerala Government on Saturday has, in an unprecedented move, petitioned the Supreme Court against President Droupadi Murmu withholding assent to four bills passed by the Assembly.

The Secretary to the President is the prime respondent in the petition filed by the chief secretary and Perambra MLA TP Balakrishnan through advocate CK Sasi.

The CPI(M)led Left Democratic Front government has made the Union government and Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and his additional secretary parties to the case.

The suit, which is likely to spark a debate on whether the President’s action comes under judicial review, challenges the legality of Murmu taking an unusually long time in giving her assent to bills referred to her or, in some cases, withholding it without assigning any reason.

The Constitution is silent on how much time the President can take in granting assent to a bill passed by a state legislature and referred to the