President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed new governors for Manipur, Assam, Punjab and Andaman & Nicobar
- Najma Heptulla has been appointed Manipur Governor of Manipur. Previously, she was part of Narenda Modi’s cabinet as Union Minority affairs minister but she resigned in July 2016.
- Banwarilal Purohit has been appointed Governor of Assam. He is a three-time former member of Lok Sabha from Nagpur and Managing Editor of Central India’s daily ‘The Hitavada’.
- VP Singh Badnore has been appointed as Governor of Punjab. He hails from Rajasthan and is associated with Mayo College, Ajmer.
- Jagdish Mukhi has been appointed Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He is Delhi-based BJP leader and former MLA from Delhi.
Constitutional provisions for appointment of Governor
Article 153: It says that there shall be Governor for each state. But 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 facilitated the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states.
Article 156: Governor is appointed by President and hold office during the pleasure of President. The article also says that Governor shall hold office for the term of 5 years from date he enters upon his office.
Supreme Court in Surya Narain vs Union of India has held that term “Pleasure of President” is not justiciable. The governor has no security of tenure and no fixed term of office. He may be removed by the President any time.