NEW DELHI, 30 October 2004 — Tamil Nadu Gov. P.S. Ramamohan Rao yesterday resigned, hours after the Supreme Court refused to stay his transfer. This was the second time that the Supreme Court rejected the Tamil Nadu government’s attempt to stay the state governor’s transfer or removal.

Senior counsel K.K. Venugopal earlier sought an immediate hearing of the matter related to the governor’s transfer. He submitted that federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil had informed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha about Rao’s transfer by telephone. She was also told that Andhra Pradesh Gov. S.S. Barnala would be transferred to Tamil Nadu and appointed state governor.

Turning down his request, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti said: “In these matters, there is no question of granting ex parte interim relief. We will not stay the appointment (of Barnala). These are issues to be settled elsewhere; but such matters are being dumped here.”

With the court examining the larger question involved in the appointment, transfer and removal of governors, the suit filed by Tamil Nadu challenging removal of Rao would be taken up for hearing in the normal course, the bench said.

Within hours of the observation made by Supreme Court, Rao faxed his resignation letter to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with a request that it be given effect to from Nov. 2.

Later, in a statement, Rao said that since his request for a transfer to any state except the northeastern states had not been accepted, he had decided to resign.

Rao is the third governor, appointed by the previous NDA government, to quit the post this week, after Madan Lal Khurana of Rajasthan and Rama Jois of Bihar.

Rao, a retired director general of police of Andhra Pradesh, took over the post on Jan. 18, 2002. His predecessor retired Justice Fathima Beevi, too resigned from the post before completing her term, following the controversial midnight arrest of DMK President M. Karunanidhi on July 30, 2001.