Bengaluru, 9 Jan

Two bills passed by the Karnataka Legislature earlier have been returned by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to the State government, seeking further clarifications on them, even as 19 pending legislations have received his assent, Lok Bhavan said here on Friday.

The two bills that have been returned by the Governor are the Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Bill and the Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill.

“Out of 22 Bills, 19 have been approved by the governor and sent for publishing in the Official Gazette. Two Bills—the Karnataka Scheduled Castes (Sub-classification) Bill and the Shree Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill—have been returned to the government, seeking further clarifications,” according to a press release issued by the governor’s Special Secretary R Prabhu Shankar.

The Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill is currently under the governor’s consideration, the press release said. The bill was passed recently despite the Opposition BJP’s protests. The bill provides for a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh and a jail term of up to seven years.