A United Democratic Front (UDF) delegation, on Wednesday, met Kerala Governor R.S. Gavai and demanded an inquiry into the government's failure to comply with, in letter and spirit, Article 176 of the Constitution, conventions and parliamentary practice related to the Cabinet approval for the Governor's address.
The delegation, comprising Congress legislature party secretary K.C. Joseph, Indian Union Muslim League leader C.T. Ahmed Ali, Kerala Congress (M) leader Joseph M. Puthusserry and Janathipathya Samrakshana Samithi leader K.K. Shaju, also urged the Governor to take urgent remedial steps in the context of the disclosures about the status of the Governor's address. They informed the Governor that his annual address to the Assembly was not prepared by the full Cabinet. Referring to the information available under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, they said a Cabinet sub-committee was appointed by the council meeting on February 10. The sub-committee was not authorised to approve the text and submit it to the Governor. The records show that the Cabinet panel met only on February 17 after the Cabinet meeting on that day and that no Cabinet meeting was held after February 17 and before February 24, the day the Governor delivered his address.
The petition, submitted by the delegation, pointed out that the Cabinet panel had prepared the speech and it was sent to the Governor's secretariat without proper approval of the Cabinet. The endorsement on the forwarding letter of the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister to the Governor's Secretary that the text was approved by the government was not correct and against facts. The petition contended that the Council of Ministers did not fulfil their constitutional obligation under Article 176 of the Constitution.
Controversy
The controversy over the Governor's address broke out when Mr. Puthussery got a reply from the government on a petition he had filed under the RTI Act seeking details of the contentious Cabinet meeting and the approval of the Governor's address.
