Day after Punjab Governor's letter, CM Bhagwant Mann says 4 bills passed in special assembly session will be cleared

PTI

Chandigarh, July 25

A day after Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit termed the two-day special Assembly session last month “patently illegal”, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday exuded confidence that all the four bills passed in the session will be cleared.

Asked if his government will now move the Supreme Court for the clearance of the bills, Mann said, “All the four bills will be cleared, wait for sometime.” He was speaking to reporters during his visit to Panjab University here.

In a recent letter to Mann, Purohit called the June 19-20 assembly session “illegal” and also said he had been receiving complaints of corruption and sought to remind the chief minister that the governor is a constitutional authority appointed by the President.

Mann, in an official statement, on Tuesday said the session was in consonance with the ethos of the Constitution and was totally legal.

After the governor’s latest communique to the chief minister, the fate of the four bills passed during the June sitting hangs in balance.

The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2023 were passed during the two-day special Assembly session in June.

While the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is aimed at ensuring a free-to-air telecast of ‘Gurbani’ from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is for replacing the governor with the chief minister as the chancellor of state-run universities.

The Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 is to pave the way to bring about an independent mechanism for selection and appointment of suitable persons to the director general of police post.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Banwarilal Purohit #Bhagwant Mann