Ministerial oath refusal; Chief Justice Chandrachud slams Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice DY Chandrachud criticized RN Ravi for refusing to re-enter the cabinet of Dr K. Ponmudi, despite the Supreme Court staying the three-year prison sentence in a corruption case. Expressing grave concern over the actions of the Governor, the Chief Justice gave an ultimatum that a decision should be taken on inviting Ponmudi to take the oath as a minister that day. He stated that if there was no action, he would intervene and would not hesitate to order the governor to act according to the constitution, giving time to avoid such a situation.

The criticism arose during the consideration of the Tamil Nadu government's plea regarding the Governor's refusal to invite Ponmudi to take the oath. Tamil Nadu Governor challenged the Supreme Court, acting as an authority above the constitution, which the court did not wish to state explicitly. The Governor had no grounds to argue that the sentence had not been extinguished under the Supreme Court's stay.

The court questioned what the government should do if the governor did not follow the constitution, inquiring whether Ponmudi's ministerial status was not restored after the stay of the sentence and whether there was a specific need for an oath. The bench, consisting of Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, heard the petition. The court criticized the governor for withholding bills passed by the assembly.

Chief Justice Chandrachud asked Attorney General R. Venkataramani about the Tamil Nadu Governor's actions, questioning how the Governor could refuse to invite Ponmudi for the oath-taking when his sentence had been set aside by the Supreme Court. He emphasized that re-entry into the Cabinet was not against the constitutional ethos and urged the Attorney General to inform the Governor that the Court took this matter seriously. Tamil Nadu's lawyer, Manu Abhishek Singhvi, stated that the Governor's refusal to act on the Chief Minister's recommendation to appoint a minister was unprecedented in the country's 75-year history. The Attorney General, representing the Governor, argued that Tamil Nadu's plea would not stand.