Supreme Court questions Tamil Nadu governor's delay in passing bills
The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday criticized Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi over the delay in his granting assent to bills sent by the state government pending since January 2020. The development came just days after the governor returned 10 bills withholding his assent, after which Tamil Nadu's government readopted the same bills by convening a special assembly session on Saturday.
Why does this story matter?
Ravi withheld his assent to as many as 10 pending bills on November 13. Notably, the governor and the statement government in Tamil Nadu have been involved in a tussle for quite some time, similar to the situation in Punjab, Telangana, and Kerala, too. The ruling parties in these states have accused their respective governors of acting as the puppets of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s central government to control the opposition-led state governments indirectly.
SC bench's stand on Ravi's inaction
Headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, a three-judge SC bench said Governor Ravi's inaction over the pending bills was a matter of concern, expressing displeasure. "Our concern is that our order was passed on November 10. These bills have been pending since January 2020," the bench said. "The governor took the decision (to withhold bills) after the court issued notice. What was the governor doing for three years? Why should he wait for the parties to approach the Supreme Court?"
SC adjourns case till December 1
The top court further adjourned the matter till December 1 after the Tamil Nadu state government informed the SC bench the assembly readopted the 10 withheld bills on Saturday during a special session. To recall, the Tamil Nadu government approached the apex court alleging that Ravi had positioned himself as the state government's "political rival."
Recalling SC's November 10 notice
On November 10, the court issued a notice on the Tamil Nadu government's appeal challenging Ravi for not clearing the bills it had sent for his approval. The SC bench also noted that between 2020 and 2023, 181 bills were received by the state governor's office, of which only 152 bills received assent. While five of them were withdrawn by the state government, nine were reserved for the president's consideration, and 10 were withheld by the governor.
