Tamil Nadu governor returns bills, special assembly session on Saturday
The legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu will conduct a special session on Saturday after Governor RN Ravi returned 10 pending bills days after the Supreme Court reprimanded him for creating a "constitutional deadlock" by inexplicably delaying the bills. After the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led government moved the top court last month, accusing Ravi of withholding the bills and government orders, the court last week said Ravi stymieing day-to-day governance was a matter of serious concern.
Why does this story matter?
The Supreme Court earlier this month said the trend of governors sitting on bills, forcing the state governments to approach the court, must stop. The government and the governor in Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads for quite some time, similar to Kerala, Punjab, and Telangana. The ruling parties in these states have accused the governors of acting as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre's puppets to interfere with and indirectly control the state governments ruled by opposition parties.
Governor returns 10 out of 12 pending bills
Ravi has returned 10 out of 12 pending bills to the Tamil Nadu Assembly. One of them concerns the appointment of university vice-chancellors. The bill seeks to grant the power to appoint vice-chancellors to the state governments instead of the chancellor, who is the state's governor and is appointed by the Centre. State Congress president KS Alagiri, Congress Legislature Party leader K Selvaperunthagai, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), and left parties' leaders slammed Ravi for returning the bills.
Ruling parties urged President Murmu to sack Ravi last year
In April 2022, the DMK protested against Ravi for not sending the NEET Exemption Bill to President Droupadi Murmu, despite it being passed twice in the assembly. A year ago, Tamil Nadu's ruling coalition, the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), wrote to President Murmu, urging her to sack Ravi accusing him of "obstructing the democratically elected government from serving the people." In April, Ravi was slammed for saying that "withheld" bills are a "decent" way of saying the bill is dead.
Constitution mandates governors to return bills 'as soon as possible'
Ravi assumed office in September 2021, and in the next seven months, he rejected 19 bills passed by the assembly. A governor can return a bill only once. However, they have the power to approve or withhold assent or reserve it for consideration by the president. Article 200 of the Constitution mandates that governors should not delay bills sent to them and return them "as soon as possible," highlighting significant constitutional intent to prevent gubernatorial procrastination.
