Tamil Nadu: Former High Court judge questions Governor’s decision to withhold assent

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K. Chandru, a retired judge from the Madras High Court (HC) and chairman of the committee that recommended outlawing online rummy to the Tamil Nadu government, claimed on Friday that Governor R.N. Ravi’s refusal to sign the bill outlawing it was unwarranted.

During a recent conference, ‘Constitution and the limits of Governor’s powers,’ at Periyar Thidal hosted by one of the DMK’s legal wings, Chandru questioned why the Governor did not give his assent to the bill despite the bill having the same text as the ordinance he promulgated earlier.

Chandru also criticized the move of the Governor and the committee headed by him to meet with gaming industry representatives. He claimed that the committee he led refused to consider their arguments since lives were lost due to stakes-based online gaming, according to The Hindu.

According to Chandru, who followed the actions of the governors of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Telangana, their goals appeared to be similar and create unrest because these States were run by rival political factions to the BJP.

The former HC judge also alleged that while previous Governors gave their own reason to be criticized, the current Governors of these states are committed to spreading Hindutva ideology.

Chandru claims that the Governor is only currently realizing what Tamil Nadu is after his statement on the “Tamizhagam-Tamil Nadu” debate. He asserted that it was now necessary to launch a campaign to eliminate the governor’s position.

President of Dravidar Kazhagam, K. Veeramani, also commented saying that the recent actions of Governor Ravi, particularly in the Assembly, proved his ignorance of the constitutional principles.

Currently, the ordinance banning online gaming has lapsed, and the bill formed using the ordinance is pending the assent of the Governor. During a recent Legislative assembly, members of DMK and allied parties walked out during his address.

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