THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will write letters to the chiefs of the political parties seeking their views on the pensions of the ministers' personal staff. The governor will take further action after seeking their opinion.

There are several petitions pending in the courts against the payment of pension. The governor's move is based on legal advice that no further legal action should be taken now in this case. The Raj Bhavan is scrutinizing the pension details of the personal staff of ministers submitted by the government. It was Chief Secretary VP Joy who submitted the information on a pen drive at the request of the Governor. The Chief Secretary has forwarded the details of the pension recipients, government orders for payment of pensions and amendments. The government has said that pensions were given to those who have worked for two and a half years and above and that there was nothing illegal in the current pension scheme.

The governor had said that it was illegal and unconstitutional to pay a lifetime pension to ministers' personal staff after two years of service. "Ministers have more than twenty personal staff. The staff are being changed every two years. Party recruitment is taking place in the name of the appointment of staff. The state is incurring a huge financial burden, including pensions and salaries," the governor said.

Kalamandalam VC: Governor to seek further clarification
The Governor will seek further clarification on the legal advice on taking action against Kalamandalam Vice-Chancellor Dr TK Narayanan for violating the order to appear in person. The governor received legal advice that the chancellor had no further authority over appointments upon examining the rules of the Kalamandalam, a deemed university.