Punjab Govt Seeks SC Intervention Over 3 Money Bills

Chandigarh: With the Punjab Government knocking the doors of the Supreme Court against state Governor Banwarilal Purohit for withholding three money Bills, the latter on Sunday said that he was in consultation with all the concerned and in the larger interest of the welfare of people of Punjab, he had decided to examine all the Bills on merit as well as in terms of various provisions of the Constitution of India.

The letter by the Governor to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a copy of which is with The Tribune, says that he will soon convey to the Chief Minister his decision on each and every Bill separately in the coming days. “I may point out that after your taking over as Chief Minister of Punjab, I have already given assent to 22 bills out of 27 bills passed by Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Rest of the five bills passed by Assembly as well as three money bills sent by the Government recently are under my consideration and I will take a decision after due consideration on them in coming days. I will convey my decision to you accordingly,” the Governor has written.

The letter shows some signs of a thaw between the two sides, after the state government filed a petition in the apex court on Saturday, which is expected to come up for a hearing on Monday. The Aam Aadmi Party Government in the state is going to the Supreme Court for the second time against the Governor, during its two-year rule in Punjab. The government had earlier approached the SC in February this year, after the Governor had refused to summon the Budget session.

Official sources in the Chief Ministers Office said a letter written by the office of Governor to the Secretary Vidhan Sabha, refusing to allow them permission to hold the two-day special sitting of the House on October 20-21, is the basis on which the government has approached the Supreme Court. The office of Governor had declined the permission saying that the state government cannot hold a special sitting of the House post adjournment of the House sine die and that such a session would be illegal and any business conducted in the session would be unlawful and an initio void.

The state government wanted to get three money Bills passed in the Vidhan Sabha, which were related to amendments in the GST Act, which amongst other things included setting up a GST Appellate Tribunal and imposition of GST on online games.

The special sitting was then held for a day on October 20, wherein Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had declared that his government would approach the Supreme Court, and that his government would not table any Bills in the current session. Since these money Bills have to be passed and implemented, the state government will have to convene the sitting or the session again this month.