Governor RN Ravi refuses to reinstate Ponmudy as minister, Tamil Nadu government moves Supreme Court.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin and Governor RN Ravi are again face to face against each other as the latter had written to Governor RN Ravi to reinstate Ponmudy as minister but the former denied to do so, citing concerns about constitutional morality.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court on Monday agreed to entertain a plea from Tamil Nadu government challenging Governor RN Ravi’s decision to deny appointment of senior DMK leader K Ponmudy as a minister in state cabinet.
The governor recently declined to reinstate the senior DMK leader and former Higher Education Minister in the state cabinet, citing concerns about constitutional morality.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra acknowledged arguments presented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing state government, emphasising the urgency of the matter, which warranted listing for a hearing.
“Please send an email. I will look into the email,” remarked CJI.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister MK Stalin, the governor noted that the apex court had only temporarily suspended Ponmudy’s conviction through an interim order.
Consequently, the governor declined to appoint the leader to the Stalin cabinet. However, the state government recently reinstated Ponmudy as a legislator following the Supreme Court’s suspension of his conviction in a disproportionate assets case.
In December 2023, Madras High Court sentenced former Higher Education Minister Ponmudy to three years’ imprisonment in a disproportionate assets case. This conviction was stayed and the sentence suspended by Supreme Court on March 11. Subsequently, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had written to Governor RN Ravi to reinstate Ponmudy as minister. However, the Governor rejected Stalin’s request stating it was against Constitutional morality.
DMK MP and Supreme Court advocate P Wilson stated that Tamil Nadu Governor was “proving to be a repeat offender and is acting with scant regard to the Constitution”. Wilson said, “Governor RN Ravi has given his own interpretation of Supreme Court’s order stating that conviction has only been ‘suspended, not set aside’. This is an absurd interpretation and is ‘an affront to the order. The Governor’s action is a clear act of contempt of Court since the Court suspended the conviction for the sole reason that it should not operate as a disqualification.”
Wilson went on to add that the Governor should be sacked and that he was trying to run a parallel government in the state. “The Supreme Court has held in several rulings that the Governor cannot question assessment of Chief Minister regarding suitability of person being appointed as a Minister. Governor’s confrontation with Government is unsurprising since he is acting as defacto President of TN’s BJP unit and has a proclivity to seek media attention, but by his current action he has committed gross constitutional impropriety and contempt of Court. He is seeking to run a parallel government from Raj Bhavan because BJP can never set foot in Fort St. George.
This Governor who has no regard for the constitution, for the laws, for the orders of the Supreme Court needs to be sacked forthwith.”