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Appointment of state governors

29th July, 2024

Appointment of state governors

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Context:

  • The President appointed Governors for Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Assam, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

New Appointments

  • Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya has been given the additional charge for Manipur as well.
  • Gulab Chand Kataria has replaced Banwarilal Purohit as the governor of Punjab.
  • Former Union Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar will be the new Jharkhand governor in place of Radhakrishnan.
  • Former Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura, Jishnu Dev Varma, will be the new Telangana governor.

Governors

  • The Governor is the Executive Head of the State within the meaning of Article 153 and 154 of the Constitution of India.
  • The President of India appoints state Governors, who function as the Centre’s representatives.

How is the Governor of a state appointed?

  • Article 153 of the Indian Constitution says “There shall be a Governor for each State.” A few years after the commencement of the Constitution, The 1956 Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act of India laid down that “nothing in this article shall prevent the appointment of the same person as Governor for two or more States”.
  • Article 155 says that the “Governor of a State shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal”.
  • Under Article 156, “the Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”, but his normal term of office will be five years.
  • If the President withdraws her pleasure before the completion of five years, the Governor has to step down.
  • Since the President acts on the aid and advice of the Prime Minister and the Union Council of Ministers, in effect, the Governor is appointed and removed by the central government.

Articles related to the Governor in India

Article 153: States that each state will have a Governor

Article 154: Vests the state's executive power in the Governor, who can exercise it directly or through subordinates

Article 155: States that the President appoints the Governor by warrant under their hand and seal

Article 156: Covers the Governor's term of office

Article 157: States that to be eligible for appointment, a person must be an Indian citizen who is at least 35 years old

Article 158: Covers conditions of the Governor's office

Article 159: Covers the Governor's oath or affirmation

Article 161: Empowers the Governor to grant pardons, reprieves, respites, or remissions of punishment

Article 213: Covers the Governor's power to promulgate ordinances during a legislative recess.

What are the qualifications for appointment as a state Governor?

  • Articles 157 and 158 lay down the qualifications of the Governor and the conditions of his office.
  • The Governor must be a citizen of India and should have completed the age of 35 years.
  • The Governor should not be a member of Parliament or a state legislature, and must not hold any other office of profit.

What is office of Profit

An office of profit generally refers to a position that brings or has the potential to bring to the person holding it some financial gain, advantage, or benefit. Various constitutions of the world mention the term to showcase executive appointments, which are not allowed.

The law does not clearly define what constitutes an office of profit but the definition has evolved over the years with interpretations made in various court judgments.

In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that the test for determining whether a person holds an office of profit is the test of appointment.

Factors which are considered in this determination includes:

○Whether the government is the appointing authority

○  Whether the government has the power to terminate the appointment

Whether the government determines the remuneration

What is the source of remuneration

○Power that comes with the position.

Articles related to it:

Article 102 (1) : Prohibits MPs from holding any office of profit under the central government

Article 191 (1) : Prohibits MLAs from holding any office of profit under the state government

Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959

● Parliament has also enacted the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959, which has been amended several times to expand the exempted list.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 exempts several posts from disqualification, like:

Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers,

Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Under Secretaries,

Deputy Chief Whips in Parliament,

Vice-Chancellors of Universities,

Officers in the National Cadet Corps, and the Territorial Army, and

Chairman and members of Advisory Committees set up by the Government when they are not entitled to any fee or remuneration other than compensatory, etc.

 

What is the relationship between the Governor and the state government?

  • The position of the Governor is envisaged as an apolitical head who must act on the advice of the Council of Ministers of the state.
  • Article 163 states: “There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion.”
  • The Governor enjoys certain powers under the Constitution — such as giving or withholding assent to a Bill passed by the state legislature; determining the time needed for a party to prove its majority in the state Assembly; or, in cases such as a hung verdict in an election, which party must be called first to prove its majority — which make his position very significant.

Discretionary power of Governor

Constitutional Discretion

He can give or withhold assent to Bills, return a Bill for reconsideration of the House concerned or both the Houses, reserving it for the consideration of the President (Article 201).  

Article 356: He advises the President on the issue of the failure of the constitutional machinery and recommends for the imposition of the President’s rulein the state concerned.  

Article 239 (2): Where the Governor is also appointed as administrator of some Union Territory in respect of administration of such territories he will act independently of his Cabinet.

Article 167: He seeks information from the Chief Minister with regard to the administrative and legislative matters of the state.

Situational Discretion of Governor

The Governor can appoint a new Chief Minister in a situation where no single party or leader commands majority support. 

He can dissolve the Assembly on the advice of a Chief Minister who has lost majority support.

He can dismiss a Ministry where the Ministry refuses to resign even after losing majority support in the House or after being defeated on a non-confidence motion.

Important articles for reference :

Governors

Governor’s Immunity

Governor Vs States: Conflict

Sources:

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following posts of the constitution and the  government in India:

  1. Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers
  2. Members of Parliament
  3. Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Under Secretaries
  4. Deputy Chief Whips in Parliament
  5. Vice-Chancellors of Universities

Which of the above are exempted from the meaning of “Office of Profit” under article 102 and 191 of the constitution of India ?

(a) 1, 2,3 and 5

(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5

(c) 1, 3, 4 and 5

(d) All of the above

Answer: c

Explanation

An office of profit generally refers to a position that brings or has the potential to bring to the person holding it some financial gain, advantage, or benefit. Various constitutions of the world mention the term to showcase executive appointments, which are not allowed.

Article 102 (1) : Prohibits MPs from holding any office of profit under the central government

Article 191 (1) : Prohibits MLAs from holding any office of profit under the state government

Parliament has also enacted the Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959, which has been amended several times to expand the exempted list.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1959 exempts several posts from disqualification, like:

Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers,

Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Under Secretaries,

Deputy Chief Whips in Parliament,

Vice-Chancellors of Universities,

Officers in the National Cadet Corps, and the Territorial Army, and

Chairman and members of Advisory Committees set up by the Government when they are not entitled to any fee or remuneration other than compensatory, etc.