New Delhi, June 20 (FP): Finding the Governors digging heals citing the Supreme Court Constitution Bench’s 2010 verdict that they cannot be sacked because they are ‘not in sync’ with the party in power, the government has decided to use the same verdict to show the door to at least three governors, including Sheila Dikshit (76) in Kerala.
The two other Governors who face the axe under this very verdict are: West Bengal’s M K Narayanan and Goa’s Bharatvir Wanchoo. They are wanted in the CBI probe into the VVIP chopper deal with the AgustaWestland as Narayanan then as the national security advisor (NSA) and Wanchoo as then chief of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that protects the PM picked up this company’s helicopters overruling objections.
The Law Ministry sources said the Supreme Court judgment by the Bench h headed by then Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan is quite clear that the governors cannot be replaced “unless there are compelling reasons for proven misconduct or other irregularities.”
It is the alleged irregularities committed by the three governors prior to occupying the Raj Bhawans that will be cited for recommending to the President to remove them, the sources said, stressing that governors enjoy the constitutional immunity but not if they are wanted in the ongoing investigations.
As regards Sheila Dikshit who was made the governor of Kerala four months ago after the defeat of her 15-year old government in the elections in Delhi in November, sources said many cases relating to her role as the chief minister in the Commonwealth Games (CWG) scam are pending. An FIR lodged against her in particular in the pre-CWG streetlight project may be cited for her removal to let the CBI proceed against her, the sources said.
Narayanan could have pulled on until January when his 5-year term ends but that would hamper the CBI probe and the same applies in case of Wanchoo who has completed just two years as the Goa governor, the sources added.