KOCHI: Soon after his return from abroad on Sunday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan drove to Raj Bhavan and reportedly explained to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan the circumstances that prompted his government to come up with an ordinance to amend the Lokayukta Act. Pinarayi also sought the governor's assent to the ordinance.
The chief minister and the governor were meeting each other for the first time after the latter offered to quit the post of Chancellor of Universities to protest the government's alleged meddling in the functioning of varsities. Pinarayi returned to the state after a two-week long treatment in the US and an official visit to the UAE.
According to sources, Pinarayi told Khan that his government proposed amendment to Section 14 of the Kerala Lok Ayukta Act, 1999, as the provision was "constitutionally untenable". The legal opinion the government received also favoured going ahead with the amendment. Section 14 of the Act empowers the Lokayukta to remove a corrupt public official from office and deter him or her from holding the post again.
Earlier, the government had written to the governor clarifying its position after the Opposition raised objections to the ordinance, alleging it would weaken the Lokayukta. The Opposition had urged the governor not to sign the ordinance. The governor on his part chose to defer his decision on signing the ordinance till the CM returned from abroad.
Sources said the reappointment of Kannur University VC also figured in the talks that lasted for more than an hour. Pinarayi reiterated his stance that government has no intention to intervene in affairs of universities.