SC rules Tamil Nadu Governor’s move to reserve 10 bills for President ‘illegal’
The Supreme Court, in its verdict on Tuesday, held that the Tamil Nadu Governor’s action of reserving 10 bills for the President was “illegal and erroneous,” and thus, the action was set aside.
“All actions taken by the Governor (TN) in relation to the 10 bills are set aside. The 10 bills shall be deemed to have been cleared from the date they were re-presented to the Governor. The Governor must assent to a bill when it is presented to him after re-consultation in the state assembly. He can only refuse assent if the bill is different,” said a two-judge bench of the apex court, led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala, and comprising Justice R. Mahadevan.
The top court also observed that any steps taken by the President on the 10 bills were non-est (null and void) under the law. It laid down timelines for Governors’ decisions under Article 200 on bills passed by they Assembly. The bench further stated that the Governor must act on the aid and advice of the State Legislature.
The verdict followed a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government against Governor Dr. R.N. Ravi for withholding assent on several bills passed by the state legislature and for constituting search-and-selection committees for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors at three universities.