Playing with fire: SC slams Punjab governor for delaying bills
The Supreme Court on Friday slammed Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit for failing to give assent to bills passed by the Punjab Assembly, warning that he was "playing with fire." The bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud ruled that the governor doesn't have the power to withhold assent to bills by doubting the constitutional validity of an assembly session in which the bills were passed.
Why does this story matter?
The apex court on Monday expressed concern about the trend of governors acting on bills only when state governments knock on the court's door. The Punjab government approached the SC after Purohit delayed deciding on multiple bills. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta called the petition unnecessary, saying that Purohit had already taken action on the bills. The SC posted the matter for Friday and asked Mehta to apprise it of the updated status.
Governor termed extension of budget session 'illegal'
The Punjab government sought the SC's intervention due to Governor Purohit's alleged procrastination in assenting to vital bills approved by the state assembly. These bills pertain to fiscal management and gurudwara's administration. The governor initially withheld consent for three money bills scheduled for discussion in the Punjab Assembly during the extended Budget Session on October 20-21. Purohit called the session's extension illegal, following which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Punjab government limited the session to October 20.
Governor approved bills after calling it 'patently illegal'
After refusing to endorse the bills in a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on October 19, he approved two of the three pending bills on November 1. However, four bills passed during the June 19-20 session of the Punjab Assembly remain pending, which Purohit labeled "patently illegal" since they were introduced in the extended session. "In exercise of which power are you saying...the session called by the Speaker is being called invalid?" CJI Chandrachud asked Purohit on Friday.
Supreme Court questions governor's power to invalidate session
The CJI added, "You're playing with fire. How can the governor say this...these are bills passed by elected members...Will we continue to be a parliamentary democracy? This is a very serious matter." The bench, including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, stressed that governors should not wait for a court petition before acting on bills. It was also observed that the speaker can't misuse their powers to permanently keep the House in suspended animation.
