The Supreme Court has issued a stark reprimand to the Governor of Tamil Nadu, R.N. Ravi, on March 21, 2024, giving him until the end of the day to decide on the reinstatement of DMK leader K. Ponmudy as a Minister. The court expressed its intention to pass a judgment on the Governor’s conduct regarding this matter by Friday.
The controversy began when Governor Ravi refused to swear in Ponmudy as the Higher Education Minister, citing concerns over “constitutional morality” despite the Supreme Court’s order suspending Ponmudy’s conviction and sentence in a disproportionate assets case. In a communication to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, the Governor highlighted that the Supreme Court had provided interim relief by suspending Ponmudy’s conviction, which did not negate the conviction but rendered it non-operative.
This decision followed the Supreme Court’s action to allow Ponmudy, previously convicted by the Madras High Court in a corruption case, to resume his legislative duties by suspending his sentence and halting the conviction. The DMK government subsequently urged the Governor to administer Ponmudy’s oath as the Higher Education Minister, a position he held prior to his conviction.
The State government has accused the Governor of overstepping his boundaries by labeling Ponmudy as “corrupt” and arguing that his reinstatement would contravene “constitutional morality.” The government’s plea argued that the Supreme Court’s suspension of Ponmudy’s conviction effectively nullifies the lower court’s prior guilty verdict in the eyes of the law.
The plea further accused the Governor of trying to establish a parallel governance structure, asserting that the Governor’s personal assessment of Ponmudy’s suitability for ministerial office was not permissible. The State has requested the court to intervene by staying the Governor’s letter and directing him to appoint Ponmudy as a Minister in the Tamil Nadu government, allocating him the portfolios as outlined by the Chief Minister on March 13, to avert significant and irreversible damage.
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This legal battle has drawn attention to the ongoing tensions between the Tamil Nadu Governor and the State government, particularly concerning the delay in the approval of 10 significant Bills in 2023. The State had accused the Governor of withholding these bills, which had been passed by the Legislative Assembly. Despite the State’s subsequent resubmission of the Bills for approval on November 18 last year, the Governor reserved them for the President’s consideration, further escalating the conflict.
