Arif Mohammad Khan

Governors of Kerala

Term – 5 years
Appointed by – President of India
Residence – Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram
Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan (September 6, 2019)

Like every other state in India, the Governor is the titular Executive Head of the State as well as the nominal head of the state government. The Governor jointly with the Chief Minister and all the council of Ministers take the legislative, executive, and administrative decisions for the state. President of India appoints a Governor for each state and union territory for a term of 5 years and he/she holds office at the President's pleasure. 

Article 166 of the Indian Constitution of 1949 states that all Government functions and activities should be done in the name of the Governor. The Governor can summon, prorogue, or can dissolve the legislative assembly.

If the State comes under the President's rule (Article 356), the Governor becomes the constitutional head of the State under the aegis of the President.

Arif Mohammad Khan was appointed on 1 September as the 22nd (current) Governor of Kerala and former Chief Justice of Kerala High Court Hrishikesh Roy administered the oath to Khan.

Basic Facts

  • First Governor of Kerala – Burgula Ramakrishna Rao.
  • First Governor who resigned before completing the term of office – Ram Dulari Sinha.
    • Second Governor who resigned is – Sheila Dikshit.
  • First Governor who died while in office – Sikander Bhakt.
    • Other Governors who died in Office – M. O. H. Farook.
  • First Woman Governor of Kerala – Jyothi Venkitachalam.
  • First Malayali to become Governor of an Indian State – V.P. Menon.
  • First Malayali to become Governor of Kerala – V. Viswanathan.
  • First Acting Governor of Kerala – P.S. Rao (20 days, November of 1956).
    • Acting Governors of Kerala – Dr. B. Ramakrishna Rao, Hansraj Bhardwaj & T.N. Chaturvedi.
  • Former Kerala Governor who later became President of India – V.V. Giri.
  • First Chief Justice of Supreme Court to become Governor of a state (Kerala) in India – P. Sathasivam (40th Chief Justice).
  • Longest serving Governor of Kerala – V. Viswanathan.
  • Shortest serving Governor of Kerala – Sheila Dikshit.
  • Name the Governor gave the shortest policy address in the history of the Kerala Assembly – Arif Mohammed Khan.

Click here to read detailed notes on Governors of India


List of Governors of Kerala

Sl. No. Governor Term of Office
 1.  Burgula Ramakrishna Rao  1956 – 1960
 2.   V. V. Giri  1960 – 1965
 3.  Ajith Prasad Jain  1965 – 1966
 4.  Bhagwan Sahay  1966 – 1967
 5.  V. Viswanathan  1967 – 1973
 6.  N. N. Wanchoo  1973 – 1977
 7.  Jyothi Venkatachalam  1977 – 1982
 8.  P. Ramachandran  1982 – 1988
 9.  Ram Dulari Sinha  1988 – 1990
 10.  Swaroop Singh 12 February 1990 – 20 December 1990
 11.  B. Rachaiah  1990 – 1995
 12.  P. Shiv Shankar  1995 – 1996
 13.  Khurshid Alam Khan  1996 – 1997
 14.  Sukhdev Singh Kang  1997 – 2002
 15.  Sikander Bakht
(died in office) 		 2002 – 2004
 16.  T. N. Chaturvedi   25 February 2004 – 23 June 2004
 17.  R. L. Bhatia  2004 – 2008
 18.  R. S. Gavai  2008 – 2011
 19.  M. O. H. Farook
(died in office) 		 2011 – 2012
 20.  Hansraj Bhardwaj   2012 – 2013
 21.  Nikhil Kumar  2013 – 2014
 22.  Sheila Dikshit  5 March 2014  – 26 August 2014
 23.  P. Sathasivam  2014 – 2019
 24.  Arif Mohammad Khan  September 6, 2019, onwards


Recently Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan  was in news for invoking "Lese Majeste" (French term: to do wrong to majesty) when the government had not informed the Governor about its decision to challenge the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 in the Supreme Court.

The State Law Minister, A. K. Balan had justified that the state merely invoked the provisions of Article 131 of the Constitution to file a civil suit in the Supreme Court against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as it violates Articles 14, 21, 25, Passport (Entry to India) Amendment Rules 2015, and Foreigners (Amendment) Act 2015 of the Indian constitution.

SideNotes:

  • Current Chief Justice of Kerala High Court – Ashish Jitendra Desai.
  • Article 131 – Special Powers of Supreme Court.
  • Article 14 – Equality before the law.
  • Article 21 – Protection of life and personal liberty.
  • Article 25 – Freedom of religion.
  • Term of Lieutenant Governors  –  Five years.
  • First elected Chief Minister of the erstwhile Hyderabad State – Burgula Ramakrishna Rao.