JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Governor, Pratibha Patil, has returned to the State capital after a month-long sojourn at Raj Bhavan's summer camp in Mount Abu. Her return is being watched with considerable interest here in the wake of the suspense over the fate of the Rajasthan Religious Freedom Bill, 2006, re-sent to her by the State Cabinet on June 13.

Ms. Patil, using her powers under Article 200 of the Constitution, had returned the Bill in the third week of May to the State Government without putting her stamp of approval and reserving it for consideration of the President of India. She had found certain clauses in the Bill, originally titled as "Rajasthan Dharma Swatantrya Bill, 2006", infringing on the fundamental rights such as, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of conscience and freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion.

"The Bill has come back to me. It is under my consideration," Ms.Patil said on Monday responding to a question from this correspondent. She refused to add anything more.

Indications are that in the current round of hair-splitting over the Constitutional options before the Governor on the controversial Bill, Raj Bhawan would undertake wide-ranging consultations with legal luminaries in the country before taking a step.

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