CAA petition in SC: Not a 'Rubber Stamp', says Kerala Guv

A miffed Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday said he was not a "rubber stamp" and hit out at the state government for not informing him before moving the Supreme Court against the amended Citizenship Act.

The government had moved the apex court on Monday against the new law, saying it was contradictory to constitutional ethos.

"Courtesy demanded, protocol demanded that they should have informed the governor first," Khan told reporters in Thiruvanathapuram.

Locking horns, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan retorted: "This is a democratic country and one must understand the democratic system. Earlier, during the British Raj, there were resident commissioners to check local chieftains."
Khan on Thursday made his displeasure public, saying protocol demanded that as a Constitutional head he should have been informed first before the top court was moved and termed the government's act "improper."
On reports that he had not signed the ordinance with respect to the amendments to Kerala Panchayat Raj Act 1994 to increase number of constituencies in Local self-governments, Khan said he was not a 'rubber stamp' as the Constitution expects him to "apply his mind and to ensure that the process of ordinance was not used for some extraneous purposes."
Meanwhile, LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan said the governor's stand was "provocative."