Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has been committing “mistakes after mistakes” on the issue of continuation of V. Senthilbalaji as a Minister without portfolio, says Madras High Court retired judge K. Chandru. According to him, the Governor can neither dismiss the Minister unilaterally nor can he seek Attorney General’s opinion on the issue.
The former judge said the Constitution does not empower the Governor to dismiss a Minister without a request emanating from the Chief Minister who alone could decide upon the members of his Cabinet and take a call on inclusion or exclusion. “It is elementary that the Governor cannot act independently on such issues,” he stressed.
