Governors delaying crucial Bills a matter of concern, says SC
The Supreme Court on Monday asked Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit to indicate by Friday what action has been taken on the seven Bills pending with him awaiting clearance observing that governors should not start acting only after a petition is filed before the top court.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab opposing the delay by Purohit to grant his assent to four Bills passed by the assembly in June and three money Bills presented for his recommendation prior to its introduction in the House.
A Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, said: “Why do parties have to come to the Supreme Court? Governors must act before they approach the Supreme Court. This happened in another state also (referring to Telangana). Once the state approaches the Supreme Court, governors start acting.”
Similar petitions have also been filed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments against similar delay by governors. For the Kerala government, senior advocate KK Venugopal mentioned the matter before the CJI-led bench for urgent listing, while the TN government’s petition is listed for hearing on November 10.