Telangana Government Withdraws Case Against Governor

The decks have been cleared for the Telangana Assembly budget sessions with the State government withdrawing its petition in the High Court against Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

After the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government refused to allow the Governor the customary address to a joint session of the Assembly and Council on the commencement of the budget session, Soundararajan used her discretion and refused to give consent to the budget. That led to the State government on Monday filing a lunch motion petition in the High Court, seeking a direction to the Governor to approve the State budget for 2023-24.

During the hearing, the division bench asked the Advocate General how the court could give notice to the Governor and why the court was being dragged into a controversy between the government and a Constitutional institution.

Appearing on behalf of the government, Supreme Court lawyer Dushyant Dave submitted that if the Constitution was violated, courts could intervene. He cited judgements of the Supreme Court in this regard. He informed the court that the State government had sent the draft budget to the Governor on January 21 but that she was yet to approve the same.

The court then suggested that both sides resolve the issue through talks. Upon the court's suggestion, Dave and Raj Bhavan's lawyer Ashok Anand held talks.

It was then decided that the Governor would give her nod to the Budget, and that the Assembly session would begin with her address.

The lawyers of both the sides informed the court of the breakthrough, and the government then withdrew its lunch motion petition and the case was dismissed.