Chennai: Kerala Governor Arif Mohamed Khan on Wednesday levelled a 'conflict of interest' allegation against former judge of Supreme Court judge Rohinton Nariman who pulled him up for not signing the bills passed by the Assembly.
Asked about judge's comment at the education conclave, organised by the The New Indian Express, Khan said there was a conflict of interest in Justice Nariman commenting about him as the latter's father and senior advocate Fali Sam Nariman was an advisor for the Kerala government.
Khan said Fali Nariman and his juniors were paid Rs 40 lakh by the Kerala government for their services. "The father is receiving money and the son is giving opinions blasting the governor. This is not following the principle of natural justice," he said.
Justice Nariman, while delivering the Bansari Sheth lecture in Mumbai in December 2023, expressed his concern about the tendency of the Governors to sit on bills. He was speaking on 'Constitution-Check And Balances'.
Nariman had said that one of the disturbing facts in 2003 was "a Governor of a traditionally minority government State, Kerala, sitting over bills for periods of up to 23 months. When the Supreme Court rapped him on his knuckles, what did he do? There were 8 such bills. One bill was assented to, 7 were referred to the President…”
"I am waiting for the day when the Supreme Court will lay down that it is only independent functionaries who are supposed to fill these great offices. Not the kind of people that we find today, like we have in Kerala, for example," Justice Nariman said.
