Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Constitutional misadventure: On the Tamil Nadu Governor’s move

Constitutional misadventure: On the Tamil Nadu Governor’s move

The Tamil Nadu Governor has acted without forethought in sacking (remove, dismiss, discharge, lay off (from the office/job)) a Minister without the Chief Minister’s advice

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi appears to be on a mission (to act in a determined way and so focus in doing something) to demonstrate his tenuous (कमज़ोर, मामूली) grasp (पकड़) of the Constitution. In an action without precedent (मिसाल) — and, as it turns out (उपस्थित होना, घटित होना), without forethought — he sent out a communication (message, letter, communiqué) to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, that he had dismissed V. Senthilbalaji, a State Minister without Portfolio (the area of responsibility (department) assigned to a Minister), who is in hospital and in judicial custody. Within hours, on the advice of the Union Home Minister, he again wrote to the Chief Minister that he was holding the order in abeyance (स्थगन, रुकाव) and was, instead, seeking (ask for, appeal for, apply for, request) the opinion of the Attorney General (chief legal advisor; the highest rank for a law officer of the government) of India. One would have thought that a Governor expected to abide (पालन करना) by constitutional (संवैधानिक) norms (आदर्श) would have obtained appropriate legal opinion prior to his drastic (extreme, serious, severe, rigorous, harsh, excessive) action. That Mr. Ravi had to be advised to seek ex post facto (पूर्वव्यापी) legal opinion reflects poorly on his decision-making prowess (साहस, विशेषज्ञता). His letter says he was invoking (cite, refer to, bring forth, turn to, resort to) Articles 153, 163 and 164 of the Constitution, which deal with the executive power (कार्यकारी शक्ति) of the State being vested (confer, grant, give, entrust (power/authority)) in the Governor, his acting on the Cabinet’s aid and advice (सहायता और सलाह), and the appointment of the Chief Minister and other Ministers. The constitutional scheme set out (प्रस्थान करना) in these articles gives no room (no scope (for something to happen)) for doubt that the Governor has no discretion (liking, wish, desire, preference, disposition. choice) in the matter of appointing and removing ministers, which is under the Chief Minister’s domain (area, sphere, realm, field (of activity)).

Mr. Ravi has sought to justify (confirm, defend, uphold, validate, vindicate, warrant) the extraordinary (unusual, uncommon, surprising, rare, strange) action by referring to the allegations (accusation, charge, indictment) against the Minister and the Supreme Court of India’s observations (remark, comment, pronouncement, statement, utterance) in a recent order. However, any call (appeal, request, demand) to remove a Minister is an appeal to moral sense (a sense of right and wrong) rather than (instead of) a legal requirement. For the Governor to remove someone unilaterally (used to indicate something done by a person/country without approval/agreement from other people/countries involved in the situation) on the ground (reason, factor, basis, rationale, premise) that his earlier counsel (advice, guidance, direction, instruction) to drop (expel, oust, discard, exclude) a Minister went unheeded (disregarded, ignored, neglected) is nothing but a constitutional misadventure (दुर्गति). It will be desirable if Ministers facing charges quit on their own, or they are removed by the respective (corresponding, relevant, appropriate) Chief Ministers. In the past, the framing (formulate, devise, draw up, work out, plan) of charges in the trial court (a court of law where cases are tried at first. (try means to investigate and decide (a case) in a formal trial)) has led to Ministers being removed, but it remains a moral high ground (ethical or political parlance/expression/phrase, refers to the status of being respected for remaining moral, and adhering to and upholding a universally recognized standard of justice or goodness), and not a mandatory (binding, obligatory, necessary; required, essential, imperative) feature of the constitutional system. Few would disagree that the charges (accusation, allegation) of bribery that Mr. Senthilbalaji faces, dating back to his stint (spell, term, turn) in the erstwhile (old, previous, former, then) All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime (government), and allegations of laundering (move illegally acquired funds into legal bank accounts or investments secretly) the proceeds (profits, earnings, returns, income, revenue) are serious enough to merit (deserve, warrant, justify) his stepping down until he is cleared (acquit, declare innocent, find not guilty, absolve) of charges. Mr. Stalin could have acted on his own to avoid facing the charge that he is providing a “shield (protection, defence, guard) of office” for the Minister to protect himself or that the Minister’s presence in the Cabinet is obstructing the due process ((equally and fairly) correct process; fair treatment) of law. But nothing can excuse (justify, defend, vindicate, rationalize) the Governor’s misadventure.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.constitutional (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संवैधानिक
English Meaning - relating to the Constitution.

2.misadventure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दुर्गति
English Meaning - problem, difficulty, trouble, disaster, tragedy, mishap, misfortune.

3.move (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कदम, क्रिया
English Meaning - action, measure, step.

4.tenuous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - कमज़ोर, मामूली
English Meaning - slight, insubstantial, negligible, weak/shaky; doubtful, dubious, questionable, vague, unspecific, indefinite.

5.grasp (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पकड़
English Meaning - understanding, comprehension, knowledge, awareness.

6.precedent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मिसाल
English Meaning - model, exemplar, example, pattern; previous example/instance, prior instance.

7.turn out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - उपस्थित होना, घटित होना
English Meaning - transpire, happen, occur.

8.abeyance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्थगन, रुकाव
English Meaning - a state of being inactive/suspended/inoperative temporarily; a state of dormancy; temporary halt/postponement. (It is mostly used in the phrase “in abeyance” with the word “in”).

9.abide (verb)

Hindi Meaning - पालन करना
English Meaning - adhere to, comply with, act in accordance with, conform to.

10.norm (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आदर्श
English Meaning - standard, convention, regulation.

11.ex post facto (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - पूर्वव्यापी
English Meaning - a Latin phrase that essentially means “retroactive,” or affecting something that’s already happened.

12.prowess (noun)

Hindi Meaning - साहस, विशेषज्ञता
English Meaning - skill, expertise, proficiency, knowledge.

13.executive power (noun phrase)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यकारी शक्ति
English Meaning - The executive power of the State shall be vested in the Governor and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution of India (Article 154 of the Constitution of India).

14.aid and advice (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - सहायता और सलाह
English Meaning - The real authority to take decisions lies in the elected government. This is the meaning of ‘aid and advice’. Titular head (Governor/Lt. Governor) has to act in accordance to aid and advice.

15.set out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रस्थान करना
English Meaning - present, describe, state, detail, explain.

16.forethought (noun)

English Meaning - foresight, far-sightedness, anticipation, planning, forward planning.

17.sack (verb)

English Meaning - remove, dismiss, discharge, lay off (from the office/job).

18.be on a mission (phrase)

English Meaning - to act in a determined way and so focus in doing something.

19.constitution (noun)

English Meaning - body of law; system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter.

20.The Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - India, also known as Bharat, is a Union of States. It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.

21.send out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - send/post, circulate, dispatch.

22.communication (noun)

English Meaning - message, letter, communiqué.

23.portfolio (noun)

English Meaning - the area of responsibility (department) assigned to a Minister.

24.drastic (adjective)

English Meaning - extreme, serious, severe, rigorous, harsh, excessive.

25.seek (verb)

English Meaning - ask for, appeal for, apply for, request.

26.attorney (noun)

English Meaning - lawyer, legal practitioner, legal adviser, counsel, advocate.

27.Attorney General (noun)

English Meaning - chief legal advisor; the highest rank for a law officer of the government.

28.reflect poorly on someone/something (phrase)

English Meaning - to make someone/something to look bad; to damage someone’s/something’s reputation.

29.invoke (verb)

English Meaning - cite, refer to, bring forth, turn to, resort to.

30.Articles 153 of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - it states that “there shall be a Governor for each state”.

31.Article 163 of the Constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - It deals with “Council of Ministers to aid and advise Governor”

32.Article 164 of the constitution of India (noun)

English Meaning - it deals with the appointment of the Council of Ministers and the Chief Minister.

33.vest (verb)

English Meaning - confer, grant, give, entrust (power/authority).

34.act on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - comply with, follow, obey, conform to, adhere to, abide by.

35.cabinet (noun)

English Meaning - ministry, council, executive.

36.no room (noun)

English Meaning - no scope (for something to happen).

37.discretion (noun)

English Meaning - liking, wish, desire, preference, disposition. choice.

38.domain (noun)

English Meaning - area, sphere, realm, field (of activity).

39.justify (verb)

English Meaning - confirm, defend, uphold, validate, vindicate, warrant.

40.extraordinary (adjective)

English Meaning - unusual, uncommon, surprising, rare, strange.

41.allegation (noun)

English Meaning - accusation, charge, indictment.

42.observation (noun)

English Meaning - remark, comment, pronouncement, statement, utterance.

43.call (noun)

English Meaning - appeal, request, demand.

44.excuse (verb)

English Meaning - justify, defend, vindicate, rationalize.

45.moral sense (noun)

English Meaning - a sense of right and wrong.

46.rather than (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of.

47.unilaterally (adverb)

English Meaning - used to indicate something done by a person/country without approval/agreement from other people/countries involved in the situation.

48.ground (noun)

English Meaning - reason, factor, basis, rationale, premise.

49.counsel (noun)

English Meaning - advice, guidance, direction, instruction.

50.drop (verb)

English Meaning - expel, oust, discard, exclude.

51.unheeded (adjective)

English Meaning - disregarded, ignored, neglected.

52.respective (adjective)

English Meaning - corresponding, relevant, appropriate.

53.frame (verb)

English Meaning - formulate, devise, draw up, work out, plan.

54.trial court (noun)

English Meaning - a court of law where cases are tried at first. (try means to investigate and decide (a case) in a formal trial).

55.led past participle of lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

56.moral high ground (noun)

English Meaning - ethical or political parlance/expression/phrase, refers to the status of being respected for remaining moral, and adhering to and upholding a universally recognized standard of justice or goodness.

57.mandatory (adjective)

English Meaning - binding, obligatory, necessary; required, essential, imperative.

58.charge (noun)

English Meaning - accusation, allegation,.

59.date back to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to have existed/done since a particular time in the past.

60.stint (noun)

English Meaning - spell, term, turn.

61.erstwhile (adjective)

English Meaning - old, previous, former, then.

62.regime (noun)

English Meaning - government.