Amid speculation over Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s next move on sanctioning prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for the alleged irregularities in the distribution of sites by the Mysuru Urban Development Corporation (MUDA), the complainant in the case, T.J. Abraham, on Tuesday met the Governor to “clear the air” about the doubts over his integrity expressed by the Council of Ministers as well as the Chief Minister.
While the Governor returned to Bengaluru late Monday evening from New Delhi, he is consulting legal experts and could take time to respond “since it is a sensitive matter”, Raj Bhavan sources said.
On ‘integrity’ question
Mr. Abraham said it was a prefixed appointment. “The government has neither rejected nor answered my complaint. Instead, it has raised doubts about my integrity. The Governor wanted to know about that aspect. I explained to him that the matter of allegations about my integrity is in court,” he said.
The government’s note after the Council of Ministers met on August 1 had said, “The Governor has failed to take note of the fact that T.J. Abraham comes with criminal antecedents having criminal cases of blackmail and extortion registered against him and his conduct in misusing the public interest jurisdiction has also been frowned upon by the Supreme Court, levying costs on him. His acts are motivated and lack bona fides and suffer from factual and legal mala fides.”
Ready for legal challenge
Meanwhile, government sources said there has been a status quo on the issue after the Council of Ministers advised the Governor to withdraw the show-cause notice issued to the Chief Minister and reject the petition. “We are not sure what he will do. He may seek clarification. But, the government believes that the Governor cannot make any decision in a hurry. We will also seek legal remedy.”
Sources close to the Chief Minister pointed out, “Article 163 of the Constitution states the Governor’s discretionary powers. It includes inviting the legislature party leader of the majority party to form the government or at times while imposing the President’s Rule. However, he is working here as a competent authority under the Prevention of Corruption Act. We are not saying that he is bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers. He can either accept or reject the advice. But he cannot act on his own. He has to summon records and follow the due process. He can reject the advice of the Council of Ministers, but record the reason for rejection.”
Published - August 06, 2024 09:55 pm IST