University Laws Amendment Bill seeks to legalise illegalities: Kerala Governor

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday said that the University Laws Amendment Bill recently passed by the state assembly seeks to legalise illegalities and he will not allow it.

Khan also indicated he was against the Lok Ayukta Amendment Bill, also passed by the Assembly recently, saying that no one can be a judge in his own cause.

Despite stiff opposition by UDF members and their subsequent boycott, the Kerala Assembly on August 30 and September 1 passed the controversial Lok Ayukta (Amendment) and University Laws Amendment Bills, respectively.

The Governor, speaking to the media, alleged that the University Laws Bill was aimed at appointing unqualified relatives of the Chief Minister and other ministers of the state on the rolls of universities.

”I had said earlier I will give up my Chancellor position. But you want to do everything and me to sign it. That is not possible. Through this bill they are trying to legalise all the illegalities. This I will not allow,” Khan said.

Regarding the Lok Ayukta Bill, he said that the basic principle of jurisprudence does not allow anyone to be the judge of their own cause.

The Lok Ayukta Bill seeks to make the executive the appellate authority over reports by the anti-corruption watchdog.

He, however, also said that his views were based on Assembly proceedings that he has read and news reports on the same.