Thiruvananthapuram ∙ Governor Arif Muhammad Khan will take a decision today on the Chief Minister’s recommendation to reinstate Saji Cherian in the cabinet. An explanation is likely to be sought from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in this regard. Uncertainty continues over tomorrow’s swearing-in. The Governor’s signal is that he will not give in to the Chief Minister’s demand easily.
The Governor pointed out that the case is an insult to the dignity of the Constitution and this is unusual. He had to resign in a situation that even the Chief Minister could not accept. Will check if that situation has changed. The process of recovery cannot be said to be natural.
A notice has been received from the Chief Minister asking him to re-swear Saji Cherian as a minister. Seeking legal advice in this regard is a natural course of action. It will be checked and a decision will be made. Legal counsel’s opinion will be considered. After returning to Thiruvananthapuram, he said that the decision will be taken after that.
The Governor has the duty to administer oath to the Minister if requested by the Chief Minister. The chief minister has the power to withdraw the minister even if he has lost favor with the governor. In this scenario, the governor will mainly decide whether Saji Cherian is acquitted in the court case for making unconstitutional speech. The Chief Minister did not explain the reason when he resigned and when he was recommended to be made a minister again.
The governor may ask why the resigned one is being sworn in again. The governor will ask why he resigned, why he is taking oath again, whether the case related to this is pending in the court etc. If the explanation is satisfactory, the oath will be administered. Or the governor can wait for the court’s decision. Raj Bhavan’s assessment is that there is no urgent situation to swear in Saji Cherian. The Chief Minister had recommended to the Governor that the oath should be administered tomorrow afternoon.
English Summary: Legal Advice to Governor to Seek Details in the Case Against Saji Cherian