Kerala CM's plea in Supreme Court against CAA : Breach of protocol, says Governor Arif Mohammad Khan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan hit out at the Pinarayi Vijayan government after it challenged the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA in the Supreme Court, saying "common courtesy demanded that prior permission" should have been taken from him.

The Kerala government challenged the validity of the law in the top court on Tuesday, becoming the first state to do so.

Governor Arif Mohammad Khan this morning suggested that the state government's move was a "breach of protocol". "I'm not saying that what they did is wrong. They may have every right to approach the Supreme Court," he said.

"But the common courtesy demanded that prior permission (should have been) taken from me... at least I should have been kept in the loop," he told reporters.

Khan also suggested that he will "check if the State government can do this without permission from the Governor". "The constitutional head of the State is getting to know about this through newspapers that the state government is challenging a law passed by the parliament," he further said.

Reacting to the Governor's remarks, the ruling CPM said that Khan is "violating the democratic traditions, constitutional provisions" by making such remarks. "The relationship between Centre and a State is not that if a master and servant... it is based on the constitution. Each constituent has been given specific powers.

He (Governor) should act only on the basis of the constitution and the precedence," CPM leader S Ramachnadran Pillai said. "Many such governors are there in India at present. Look at the Maharashtra Governor - what he did at the time of last government formation last year.

He acted as an agent of the central government. The Kerala Governor is only trying to follow him," he further said.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday said the states opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act will have to implement it. On Kerala and West Bengal chief ministers opposing the amended law, he said they were constitutionally bound to implement it.

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not participating in Central government's upcoming meeting on National Population Register and said she should understand her constitutional duties.

A group of protesters shouted anti-CAA slogans and created a ruckus at an event organised by the RSS-affiliated Muslim Rashtriya Manch on Thursday to drum up support for the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act.

According to eyewitnesses, a few men started shouting slogans as RSS leader Indresh Kumar, the ''mentor'' of MRM, took the stage.

Some of the protesters even tried to show anti-CAA posters by going up to the dais.