THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Arif Mohammed Khan initially resisted reappointing Saji Cheriyan as a minister due to his controversial speech insulting the Constitution. However, after persuasion from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Governor ultimately relented. The Chief Minister assured the Governor that the police report was favorable and that legal advice supported reinstating Cheriyan, with the case likely to be dismissed. The police report was also submitted to the Governor, although the court’s rejection of the report has been a setback for the government.

Despite his reservations, the Governor agreed to administer the oath of office, cautioning that if the Chief Minister was confident in the decision, he would not oppose it but would take full responsibility for the outcome.

The Governor’s change of heart came after the Chief Minister sent a letter clarifying that Saji Cheriyan had resigned in the interest of upholding morality and that there were no legal obstacles to him assuming office again. During the swearing-in ceremony, the Governor requested that the Chief Minister bring the case documents to Raj Bhavan and a bundle of documents was subsequently presented from the Chief Minister’s office. The Governor also stressed that the Chief Minister should ensure the authenticity of the documents.

The CPM Secretariat had proposed reinstating Cheriyan after the Thiruvalla Police filed a clean chit in the case. Additionally, the High Court had ruled that there was no legal basis for the private petition seeking Cheriyan's disqualification as an MLA.