'Why Take 3 Years': Supreme Court Questions Tamil Nadu Governor Over Pending Bills

The Supreme Court today questioned Tamil Nadu Governor, RN Ravi's, decision to stall bills for assent that the state Assembly passed, expressing concerns and asking why it took him three years to find issues in the bill.

The standoff between the Tamil Nadu Governor and the state government over clearing bills first reached the Supreme Court in 2023, where the state government told the top court that the Governor had referred 10 bills re-adopted by the assembly to President Droupadi Murmu.

The Supreme Court has again expressed concerns and said it seems the Governor has created his procedure.

The Supreme Court has framed several questions for the hearing which is scheduled for Friday and asked:

1. Shouldn't the Governor provide reasons for returning a bill?
2. Can the Governor send a bill passed by the assembly for the second time to the President?
3. Can the Governor send all types of bills to the President?
4. Can a time limit be set for the Governor to make a decision?
5. Is the Governor bound to give assent to a bill passed by the assembly for the second time?
6. What is expected from the President?

The state government has argued that the Governor cannot be the supreme legislator and is violating the principles of parliamentary democracy.

In 2023, the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Government, expressed "serious concern" over the delay by Governors in giving assent to the bills passed by the state assemblies.

The Tamil Nadu government, in the past, has accused the Governor of deliberately delaying the bills' clearance and scuttling the state's development by "undermining the elected administration".