Soundararajan returned Private Universities Bill and Telangana Municipal Laws Bill, and rejected Telangana Public Employees (Regulation of Superannuation) Bill.
Telangana Governor clears all the bills pending with her ahead of the SC hearing.
The battle of nerves between Raj Bhavan and Pragati Bhavan in Telangana continues, with Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Monday, 24 April, returning two bills to the state government for clarifications, while rejecting one bill pending with her.
Now, the grounds on which Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has returned the Private Universities Bill and the Telangana Municipal Laws Bill, and rejected the Telangana Public Employees (Regulation of Superannuation) (Amendment) Bill 2022, have become known.
According to highly-placed sources, the Governor, in regard to the Telangana Public Employees Amendment Bill 2022, felt that there would be an additional burden on the state exchequer if the retirement age of the Director of Medical Education, Additional Director of Medical Education, principals of medical colleges, and superintendents of teaching medical general hospitals is increased to 65 years, with retrospective effect from 20 June, 2019, as per Section III of Bill No.8/2022.
The amendment will automatically imply the re-engagement of employees, who retired at age 61, and payment of their salaries from the date of retirement till re-engagement or retirement on attaining the age of 65 years, even though they have not discharged a single day of service from the date of attaining 61 years.
She also wanted to know how many employees will be benefitted, in any manner whatsoever, from the retrospective amendment and what would be the financial liability that would be caused to the state exchequer.
Regarding the Telangana Municipalities (Amendment) Bill 2020, the Governor said that she had returned the Bill because it sought to increase minority co-option members in municipalities.
She said that to ensure uniformity across the country, the Parliament had amended paragraph IXA, which comprises Articles 243P and 243G (74th Amendment), for the formation of municipalities and reservation of seats.
There is no reservation for minorities. There was no mention of minorities in the entire part of IXA of the Constitution.
But the Telangana Municipalities Amendment Bill 2022 clearly violated Articles IXA of the Constitution. The Governor, who is supposed to protect the Constitution, cannot be a party to defeat it.
Regarding the Private Universities Act (Amendment) Bill 2020, she said that she was returning it because she wanted to know whether it was not the responsibility of the government to strengthen public universities and whether it was wise to go on issuing clearances for private universities.
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