New Delhi: The country’s major English language newspapers have all slammed Tamil Nadu governor R.N. Ravi’s order – now in abeyance – to unilaterally dismiss a cabinet minister, saying the move violated the constitutional framework and accusing him of gubernatorial overreach.Hours after Ravi passed the order removing Senthilbalajai, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate and is in judicial custody, he kept the order in abeyance to seek the opinion of the attorney general, apparently on the advice of Union home minister Amit Shah. Nevertheless, the extraordinary move has come under intense criticism because a governor can only remove a minister on the advice of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues.‘Reflects poorly on Ravi’s decision-making prowess’: The HinduIn its editorial titled ‘Constitutional misadventure’, The Hindu noted that the Tamil Nadu governor’s action was not only without precedent but “as it turns out, without forethought”.“One would have thought that a Governor expected to abide by constitutional norms would have obtained appropriate legal opinion prior to his drastic action. That Mr. Ravi had to be advised to seek ex post facto legal opinion reflects poorly on his decision-making prowess,” the editorial says.The constitutional scheme set out in Articles 153, 163 and 164, which Ravi cited to remove Senthilbalaji, gives “no room for doubt that the Governor has no discretion in the matter of appointing and removing ministers, which is under the Chief Minister’s domain”, it added.The governor’s justification for his action by referring to the allegations against the minister “is an appeal to moral sense rather than a legal requirement”, the newspaper added. The newspaper said that the allegations against Senthilbalaji are “serious enough to merit his stepping down until he is cleared of charges”.‘Sends the wrong signal and further stresses federal framework’: HTThe Hindustan Times, in an editorial titled ‘Sending the wrong signal’, said the whole fiasco should have been avoided and that it “further stresses India’s federal framework”.Referring to the “intensifying tussle” between Ravi and chief minister M.K. Stalin, the newspaper said that “morality and probity in public office are preferable qualities, but these cannot be sought to be achieved by undermining the powers of the elected government as enshrined in the Constitution”.Ravi’s actions also “cement the perception” that governors in states ruled by opposition parties “are acting in ways that infringe on the domain of the state government”, HT said.“Governors appear to have been given the message that they need to keep pushing the envelope in ratcheting up confrontation with the ruling political party. This impression is solidified by the fact that while a number of Opposition-ruled states are currently roiled by a standoff between Raj Bhavan and the state government – Kerala, Telangana, West Bengal and Punjab are only the most extreme examples of this phenomenon – there is not a single instance of any similar controversy in a state governed by the BJP,” the editorial noted.Such face-offs are detrimental to “India’s fraying federal fabric, which is already under stress due to fiscal outlays and devolution”, the paper said.Ravi’s action poses ‘urgent concern about gubernatorial overreach’: Indian ExpressIn its editorial titled ‘Fraying the fabric‘, the Indian Express said the issue is no longer about the propriety of someone facing serious corruption charges continuing in the ministry while a probe is underway. The governor’s “unilateral and unprecedented move has now posed a more urgent concern about gubernatorial overreach”, the paper said.The editorial noted that even in the context of “hostilities” between governors and opposition-ruled states, “Ravi stands out in the dismal list of governors who have courted controversy for displaying a grave misunderstanding of their constitutional position and role. Even before the attempted dismissal of the minister, Governor Ravi had made news for the wrong reasons in Tamil Nadu. In January, he became the first governor in the state to skip portions of the text of his address to the assembly, which is, by convention, the government’s statement of intent. When the chief minister objected, he left the House in a huff.”IE said that “Tamil subnationalism is now at ease with Indian nationalism and the federal compact” but governor Ravi’s tone-deafness has “threatened to stoke spectres buried long ago”. It said the Union government should consider Ravi’s removal if he “further frays the Centre-state federal fabric and sets all the wrong precedents”.Ravi’s behaviour leaves ‘lot to be desired’: Times of India In its editorial titled ‘Chennai’s Super King’, the Times of India said Ravi was wrong to unilaterally dismiss the minister and “there’s no room for doubt as the constitutional position is clear”. It noted that until 1967, engagement between governors and states “was largely uneventful”. But as states elected opposition parties, “decisions of governors often led to judicial disputes” and the Supreme Court’s verdict “almost 50 years ago” [Shamsher Singh vs State of Punjab] said that the Constitution “does not envisage the governor running a parallel administration”.“Governors sometimes seem to yearn for the British Raj’s 1935 legislation that gave them discretionary power and even allowed them to chair a meeting of the council of ministers. That era is over. Sitting on bills cleared by the assembly or trying to unilaterally change the council of ministers disrupts a state’s governance. As most such cases end up as judicial disputes, it further clogs the system. Ravi’s conduct in this matter and a tendency to sit on bills has left a lot to be desired. It undermines the integrity of the constitutional office that’s an important link between GOI and states. GOI should talk to him,” the editorial concluded.