Kerala will soon challenge the legality of President Droupadi Murmu withholding her assent for the Bills that were passed by the Kerala Legislature before the Supreme Court.
The President had withheld assent to Kerala University Laws (Amendment No. 2) Bill 2022, University Law Amendment Bill, 2022, and the University Law Amendment Bill, 2021 from the seven Bills that were referred to her in November 2023. However, she gave her assent to the Kerala Lok Ayukta Amendment Bill, 2022. The State is yet to hear about the fate of two University Law Amendment Bills.
The unusual move of the Kerala Government will open doors for a Constitutional debate on the scope of a judicial review of the decisions of the President of India. The State would contend that the legality of the President’s decisions and the factors that influenced it can be judicially reviewed.
