Mumbai, Jan 22: A public interest litigation filed in the Bombay high court has sought direction to the Union government to frame elaborate rules on the appointment of governors under article 157 of the Constitution.
Existing provisions of article 157 are vague and discriminatory, says the petitioner, advocate V P Patil, adding that a person holding this Constitutional post must not be a `political appointee'.
Article 157 states that a person of Indian nationality and at least 35 years of age can be appointed as governor. The PIL argues that going by these criteria, "half the country's population" would be eligible.
In the absence of elaborate rules, the existing provisions are "arbitrary and illegal", the PIL says.
It further states that as the governor also exercises some quasi-judicial powers, the appointee must have good knowledge of the Constitution.
The PIL suggests that appointment rules can be framed by committee headed by Chief Justice of India and comprising Speaker of Lok Sabha and the Prime Minister.
The petition may come up for hearing on February 3.
