Cong upset with plan to make Sathasivam governor

The Congress on Sunday questioned the move to make former chief justice of India P Sathasivam the next governor of Kerala. The party has asked constitutional experts and legal luminaries to debate it and make their views public.

The Congress on Sunday questioned the move to make former chief justice of India P Sathasivam the next governor of Kerala. The party has asked constitutional experts and legal luminaries to debate it and make their views public.

“The Suprem Court Chief Justice is the one to administer oath to the President. How can he be appointed by the President and become his representative in a state? I find it improper. Let experts say more on this,” said PCC chief V M Sudheeran. However the party central leadership is yet to react on this.

State BJP leaders were also upset with the move and they would inform their displeasure to the party president Amit Shah who will be in the state for two days.

Some of them feel that Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa played a key role in this and it will become detrimental to the state’s interest when it is locked in a battle with the neighboring state over sharing water in Mullaperiyar dam. There were also allegations that when he was the CJI he provided much-needed relief to the BJP chief in an alleged encounter case.

Justice Palaniswamy Sathasivam was the first judge from Tamil Nadu to become the CJI. Interestingly this is the first time a retired chief justice of the Supreme Court is being appointed governor.

He was the 40th CJI and worked in the post for nine months. He’s yet to react to the criticism. A vacancy was created in Kerala Raj Bhawan after the present incumbent Sheila Dixit resigned last week.