THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said on Friday that the Kerala Lokayukta Act Amendment Ordinance, which he signed earlier this week, included no illegal provisions.
Khan stated on Friday that the government bears responsibility for it and that he fulfilled his obligation by signing it. "The Ordinance did not appear to me to be unconstitutional. The Governor is required by law to sign it, and I did so "Khan stated.
Khan was visited by a delegation from the Congress-led Opposition, who asked him not to sign the Ordinance, which they described as "against" the Constitution. V.D.Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition, had addressed two letters to the President, requesting his intervention in the matter and ensuring that the amending Ordinance was not signed.
Chief Minsiter PInarayi Vijayan presided over a Cabinet meeting from his hospital bed in the United States, where he had gone for treatment, and the modified Ordinance was sent to Khan last month. He met with Governor for an hour after arriving from the United States on Sunday, and Khan signed the document the next day. As a result, Congress officials have claimed that Vijayan and Khan are working together.
Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court on Thursday seeking a stay on the amended ordinance, but the court, while accepting the petition in its file, did not stop the ordinance and remanded the case to the Vijayan government for further consideration.
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