Kerala governor OKs 1 Bill, reserves 7 for President nod

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday signed one bill passed by the state Assembly into law and sent seven others pending assent for up to three years to President Droupadi Murmu for consideration, reported Onmanorama.

Khan’s action came after the Supreme Court on November 24 asked him to go through its November 10 verdict stating that governors cannot veto the functioning of the Legislature or keep bills placed before them for assent pending indefinitely.

Bills passed by legislatures become law only after the governor signs off on them. Article 200 of the Constitution gives governors the power to either grant their approval to a bill, reject it or in some cases, reserve it for the president’s consideration “as soon as possible”.