Punjab Guv calls 2-day assembly session illegal, CM Bhagwant Mann to move Supreme Court

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday, October 20 announced that his government will move the Supreme Court against the Punjab governor on October 30th, alleging that the governor has withheld the bills tabled during the extended budget session. The CM stated that the Punjab government will move the Supreme Court against the governor’s letter, wherein he had called the assembly session as illegal and refused to give approval to the three bills tabled in the House.

The three bills were tabled in the House during the two-day special session of the state assembly. However, the assembly session was cut short by a day after CM Mann informed during the Punjab Assembly session that Governor Banwarilal Purohit had not given assent to the three money Bills and hence, they couldn’t be presented before the House.

House was adjourned sine die after proceedings began on first day of session

Bhagwant Mann said that his government would resume the session after taking the issue to its logical conclusion. The House was then adjourned sine die, hours after proceedings began on the first day of the session.

According to news agency PTI, Bhagwant Mann stated in the House, "I do not want that any tussle with the governor escalates further. I request you that we will not table any Bill till we assure Punjabis that this session is legal, and the governor will have to give all approvals to Bills and also sign them. We will knock on the door of the Supreme Court in the coming days.”

The assembly session was later adjourned sine die on the request of the chief minister to the speaker of the Punjab Assembly.

Earlier, Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Thursday wrote to the chief minister objecting to the special session called by the AAP government of Punjab and calling it a patently illegal session, while withholding his approval for the three Bills tabled in the House. The objection from the governor triggered another tussle between the Raj Bhavan and the AAP government in Punjab.

The governor in his letter had earlier strongly suggested the Bhagwant Mann government to call either a monsoon or winter session instead of choosing to continue on the two-day extended budget session called by the government.

Governor Purohit even said that he would be compelled to consider an appropriate course of action, including reporting the matter to the President, if the government continues to carry forward the session.

In his letter, the governor also said that he had received the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Indian Stamp (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2023, for approval, which he is withholding his approval for as the extended budget session was illegal.

Following the observations made by the governor, the Congress MLAs raised questions on the session and asked the speaker on whether the session was legal, reports the news agency. The Congress members protested against the Bhagwant Mann-led government claiming that calling the session was a waste of money. However, Speaker Sardar Kultar Singh Sandhwan asserted that the two-day session was legal.