Communicate all cabinet decisions under Article 167: Bengal Governor to CM

Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has requested Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to communicate to Raj Bhavan all decisions of the state cabinet as mandated under Article 167 (c) of the Constitution amid the recent crisis arising in the state over the ghastly rape and murder of a woman doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata within the hospital.

According to a statement issued from the office of the Governor on Monday night, under the provisions of Article 167, it is the duty of the Chief Minister to furnish to the Governor all decisions of the council of ministers relating to the administration of the affairs of the state and proposals for legislation.

The office of the Governor has also reminded that it is also the duty of the Chief Minister to update the Raj Bhavan on information relating to the subjects which were taken up for consideration by the state cabinet where a decision taken by a minister was not considered by the cabinet.

In the statement, the Governor also claimed that the state administration and law enforcement agencies “were severely castigated in public perception as instance after instance of deviation from the standard”.

According to the statement from Raj Bhavan, misinformation to the parents of the victim, alleged tampering with the crime scene, delay in filing FIR, hurried disposal of the body ignoring the wishes of the parents to retain it for at least that day, transferring and immediately accommodating the then Principal at another premier medical college and hospital and alleged attempts of the Kolkata Police to cover-up tampering of the crime scene were some of the example that raised doubts in the minds of the people about the state’s intention in the matter.

“Law enforcement aspect of the Kolkata Police -- or the inexplicable lack of it -- in the entire sequence of events that unfolded following the discovery of the body of the victim, was severely reprimanded by the civil society and castigated by the Courts,” the statement from the office of the Governor read.