BENGALURU: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot on Monday cleared only three of the 11 bills sent to him since January.
The governor’s move is likely to escalate the stand-off between the state government and Raj Bhavan.
He gave his assent to the Karnataka State Public Examination Bill, 2023, Renuka Yellamma Temple Development Authority Bill, 2024, and the Karnataka Municipality and Related Acts Amendment Bill, 2024.
The Karnataka Town and Country Planning Amendment Bill, Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Amendment Bill, Karnataka Souharda Co-operative Amendment Bill, Registration - Karnataka Amendment Bill, Karnataka Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill, Gadag-Betageri Business, Culture and Exhibition Authority Bill, and the Karnataka Cinema and Cultural Workers’ Welfare Bill are yet to be cleared.
governor playing politics, says Priyank
One of the most significant pending bills is the Karnataka Religious Institutions and Endowments Amendment Bill, 2024, which is embroiled in a legal dispute after Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad bench overturned the amendments made in 2011 and 2012. Although the Supreme Court stayed the high court’s decision, the governor has withheld approval to it. Addressing the media in Kalaburagi earlier in the day, RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge criticised the governor stating that “he is playing politics”. “He is deliberately stalling the bills, seeking unnecessary clarifications. The bills on preventing corruption in government recruitments, and registration of land records have been deliberately withheld,” Priyank alleged.