Rift between Karnataka government, Raj Bhavan escalates as Governor returns three bills
BENGALURU: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has returned the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (Amendment) Bill, 2024, to the state government, suggesting that it should be withdrawn per se.
This alleged attempt to replace the governor as chancellor of the university has escalated the rift between the government and Raj Bhavan. The government wants the chief minister to be the chancellor of the university.
According to sources, the government is keen on bringing similar amendments to replace the governor as chancellor of all the state-run universities.
The government passed the Bill during the winter session in Belagavi in December 2024. “In the guise of bringing in changes, the attempt to take away powers, responsibilities and functions of the governor will lead to unnecessary conflict and friction.
I advise the government to refrain from such ventures and take proactive and cordial steps to foster goodwill and gentlemanliness. Hope, the government will withdraw this Bill aimed to curtail the powers of the governor.
There should not be any doubt regarding the fact that the RDPR Act is there to act positively,” the governor stated in a note sent to the government along with the Bill.
Governor asks state govt to begin process to appoint V-C for RDPR University
“The observations and justifications for the amendment in the submission note are summarily misleading and seem more like an attempt to usurp power,” the governor stated.
He cited Article 254 and Supreme Court judgments settling the matter regarding supremacy and constitutionally binding nature of the UGC regulations on the state legislation with regard to the University Acts and stated that the current proposal is unconstitutional.
He suggested to the government to initiate the process of V-C’s appointment, which has been deliberately kept on hold. “The state, by having specialised universities, has specific Acts for the same.
But according to my observations of these specialised universities, they have become orphans and the state government has paid little attention to their development all these years,” the governor said.
“The RDPR University has not had one single permanent faculty from the time of its inception,” he said.
The governor took note of the government’s intention to bring in Mysuru Development Authority Bill, 2024, to replace the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) when investigations into the alleged irregularities in MUDA are on.
He returned this Bill. A one-man commission of inquiry, inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate and an inquiry by the Karnataka Lokayukta are under way, he pointed out.
“Further, cases are pending in various courts in this regard. In this scenario, it is not advisable to create a new entity in place of an existing one. In my opinion, it would be better to enact this legislation after the conclusion of these inquiries,” he stated.
The governor also returned the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (Amendment Bill), 2024, seeking certain clarifications.