Skip to main content

THE ROLE OF GOVERNOR IN A DEMOCRACY (INDIA)

"The President, or the Governor or Rajpramukh of a State, shall not be answerable to any court for the exercise and performance of the powers and duties of his office or for any act done or purporting to be done by him in the exercise and performance of those powers and duties" (Art. 361, The Constitution of India). The black letter law suggests that in order to facilitate the free excersize of Executive powers and duties (functions) of the President of India or the Governor of the State, their actions are not answerable to any Court. However, the discretion excersized by these Constitutional Authorities is not immune from the domain of judicial review. Every discretion excersized in arbitrary manner is susceptible to judicial review. In  Rameshwar Prasad v. Union of India (2006), the Apex Court declared the imposition of President's rule U/A- 356 of the Indian Constitution as unconstitutional. In one of paras, while dealing with the role of Governor, the Apex Court referred the statement of then Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, "You are the representatives of the center in states and hence, you bring a national perspective to state level actions and activities" (Emphasis Supplied).

In the present Karnataka issue, there might be at least two ways to think this specific situation. The technical or mechanical compliance of Law may favour BJP. However, in Rameshwar Prasad v. Union of India (2006), The Supreme Court of India, while dealing with the moment of crisis like hung Assembly and Dissolution of Assembly, came out with three possible alternatives in lexical priority, taking clue from Sarkaria Commission: (1) The Biggest pre-poll alliance has the first claim to form the Government; (2) The Single Largest Party; and (3) The biggest post- poll alliance. Here BJP passes the muster for the second condition and the Congress- JD(S) post-poll alliance qualifies for the third condition. These alternatives were also echoed by Punchhi Commission. But in Rameshwar Prasad (Supra), the Supreme Court of India echoed the pragmatic voice of Sarkaria Commission in these few words:

"It is clear that the leader of the party which has an absolute majority in the Legislative Assembly should invariably be called upon by the Governor to form a Government. However, if there is a fractured mandate, then the Commission recommends an elaborate step-by-step approach and has further emphasized that 'the Governor, while going through the process of selection as described, should select a leader who, in his judgement, is most likely to command a  majority in the Assembly'". 

It's difficult to say how to read the Constitution, even more difficult to articulate how not to read it.  A serious student of Constitutional Law should avoid reading the Constitution in terms of Black letter interpretation. The study of Constitution is not only in its expressions but in its "silences" (See Chelameshwar J. In 4th Judges' case). Every political crisis or "Politics of Crisis" brings forth the bright scope to transform Constitutional interpretation in sync with crisis, to reaffirm the very "demosprudential ethos" (Upendra Baxi, Jurisprudence v. Demosprudence) which is expected from every Constitutional Authority. The power of Governor is a symbolic one in a republican democracy like India. They are responsible, not only to adhere with every text and its context of the Constitution, but also the very Constitutional ethos, which is no less than to raise upto the stature of Justice, Equity, and good Conscience. 

When numbers are prima facie supporting the Congress-JD(S) alliance. Asking BJP to form the Government is an act of negation and abdication; not only of the precedents established in Goa and Manipur in contemporary epoch, where post-poll alliance got preference over the single largest party, but also the Constitutional ethos which asks the Governor to be above the suspicion like a Caesar's Wife!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Imagination

Student: I want to excel in my life. Over the years, my graph of success is achieving a new height. I am doing hard work to become one of the smartest and richest persons on the Earth. Teacher: Wonderful! Who is  achiever and what is achieved? Student: I am the achiever. My name and fame are shining day by day.  Teacher: Who is this ‘I’? What is the material by which it is produced? Student: I is the ego which is the agent achieving successes and facing failures. Teacher: Whether ego is real or imaginary? Student: It is made of name, form, and function. Teacher: Whether name, form, and function are eternal?  Student: No, they are changing. Teacher: Anything changes does it exist? Whether these are real or merely fictitious images appearing and disappearing before the sightscreen of mind? Student: They are the images constructing my identity as a person. Teacher: Well said! What is the stuff by which these images are made of? Who is maker and what is made? Student: They ar...

पिरोता जाऊँ एक माला ज़िन्दगी का

पढ़ता हूँ हर एक दिन एक ही पन्ना, हर दिन हज़ार ये मालूम पड़ते हैं। जबसे होश संभाला है एक ही पन्ना सवांरते आया हूँ, लोग इसे ज़िन्दगी कहते हैं। इसपे लिखे हर एक लब्ज़ जो मेरे मालूम पड़ते हैं, ना जाने कितने जुबां पे चढ़े होंगे। आज हम भी कुछ पल के लिए ही सही इसके सारथी हैं, जाने से पहले कुछ रंग मेरा भी इसपे चढ़ जाए, बस इसीलिए एक ही पन्ना बार बार पलटता रहता हूँ। हर कोई अनजाने किताब की तलाश में बाहर निकलता है, जिसका हर एक पन्ना वो ख़ुद है। जब ख़ुद के रंग को समझ ही ना पाया, तो भला इंद्रधनुषी किताब के क्या मायने हैं? अस्तित्व में ना जाने कितने पन्ने बिखरे पड़े हैं, बस एक से ही अवगत हो जाऊँ, उसके हर एक शब्द को चुनता जाऊँ, कुछ पल के लिये सही, पिरोता जाऊँ एक माला ज़िन्दगी का।

Time and Love

Time passes by Like moving in a train of thoughts Its sequence is always forward Vibrating like a cosmic dance of Shiva Time is creating and engulfing The little waves of the ocean Going where? Nobody knows Like a dream does not have a destination It is as true as any absurd play With friends of pleasure It moves like speed of light With friends of need It is felt like a moving river Allowing a little moments of thoughts Before everything becomes a history With friends of virtue Time becomes a sublime touch Soothing and healing the pain Becoming a spectator To watch the cries and follies Beauty and ugliness The rainbow of joy And an album of suffering Time touches Yet it remains aloof Like Purush is witnessing The colours of prakriti Yet remains unblemished And untouched The union of two is always mystical Their touch is a source Of creation and transformation Time is witnessing everything In its sequential movements Who is witnessing time? What is independent of the originatio...