IN a letter written to Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan on October 8, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refused to comply with the governor’s directive to summon the chief secretary and state police chief to appear before him at Raj Bhavan.

The governor had summoned Chief Secretary Sarada Muralidharan and Director General of Police Shaik Darvesh Saheb regarding newspaper reports about gold smuggling, hawala, and phone tapping. He directed them to appear before him by 4 pm on October 8. In his letter, sent on October 8th morning, the chief minister cited the impropriety of the governor's actions, stating that summoning officials without informing the elected government exceeds the constitutional authority of the governor.

Previously, the governor had written to the chief minister seeking details about the matter. However, when he did not receive a reply from the government, he decided to summon the officials.

The government maintained that summoning higher officials goes against democratic norms and questions Articles 154, 163, and 167 of the Indian Constitution. The cabinet has the right to advise the governor on constitutional obligations.