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SC junks PIL demanding removal of Tamil Nadu governor

Feb 03, 2025 01:05 PM IST

The SC made it clear that the removal of a governor falls under the exclusive domain of the President of India and is not a matter for judicial intervention.

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea demanding the removal of Tamil Nadu governor RN Ravi, making it clear that the removal of a governor falls under the exclusive domain of the President of India and is not a matter for judicial intervention through a public interest litigation (PIL).

A petition filed in the Supreme Court by advocate CR Jaya Sukin alleged that Tamil Nady governor RN Ravi’s actions violated constitutional principles and were politically motivated. (File Photo)
A petition filed in the Supreme Court by advocate CR Jaya Sukin alleged that Tamil Nady governor RN Ravi’s actions violated constitutional principles and were politically motivated. (File Photo)

The petition filed by advocate CR Jaya Sukin alleged that Ravi’s actions violated constitutional principles and were politically motivated. However, a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Kumar called Sukin’s prayer “ill-conceived” and said that no such directive for the governor’s removal could be issued to the secretary of the President of India.

Under Article 156 of the Constitution, a governor serves at the pleasure of the President. Any decision regarding their removal is taken by the Union government, through the President.

The court said: “How can we grant something like this. There are constitutional provisions for this. This court is also bound by the Constitution.”

Sukin’s petition pointed to a series of controversial incidents involving Governor Ravi, particularly his walkout from the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly on January 6 this year, marking his third such exit from the House.

The governor had left the session without delivering the customary address, citing the absence of the National Anthem at the start of the proceedings. Instead, the Tamil Nadu state anthem, Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu (Invocation to Mother Tamil), was played -- something Ravi had reportedly objected to.

The petition also accused Ravi of overstepping his constitutional role by making political remarks, delaying or withholding assent to state legislation, and undermining the Dravidian model of governance, a key ideological framework in Tamil Nadu politics.

“The Governor cannot enter the political arena and may discharge only those functions specified in the Constitution,” Sukin argued in his plea, citing past Supreme Court rulings that emphasised the limited and apolitical role of governors in a parliamentary democracy.

The January 6 assembly walkout was just the latest in a series of controversies involving Ravi. Chief minister MK Stalin strongly criticised the governor’s refusal to deliver the customary address, calling it an affront to the dignity of the state assembly. Stalin alleged that Ravi’s actions were deliberate and politically motivated, further straining the relationship between Raj Bhavan and the Tamil Nadu government.

The political tensions had already been high in 2023 when Ravi omitted key portions of his policy address, including references to Tamil Nadu’s secularism, the Dravidian movement and social reformers like Periyar and CN Annadurai. A slew of other issues pertaining to repeated run-ins between the state and Governor Ravi on clearance of bills, appointment of ministers in the cabinet, and approval for search committees to recommend vice-chancellors in state universities, have been taken to the Supreme Court by the Stalin government.

Ravi has defended his actions, maintaining that his January 6 walkout was a protest against the Assembly’s failure to uphold constitutional protocol by not playing the National Anthem. A statement from Raj Bhavan said the governor had repeatedly urged the chief minister and the Speaker to ensure that the National Anthem was played, but when this was ignored, he had no choice but to register his dismay by leaving the session. Raj Bhavan insisted that Ravi’s stance is aimed at safeguarding constitutional decorum rather than engaging in politics.

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