𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲

New Delhi, April 8: In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that state Governors have no authority to indefinitely delay or obstruct bills passed by State Legislatures. The ruling came in response to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s decision to withhold assent on ten bills and later forward them to the President, which the Court deemed unconstitutional, according to Bar and Bench.

A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan declared that the ten bills, once re-passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly, are considered approved from the date they were resent to the Governor.

The judges emphasized that a Governor must act within a reasonable timeframe—either by assenting to a bill, sending it back for reconsideration, or reserving it for the President. However, once a bill is re-passed in its original form, it cannot be blocked or referred again.

The Tamil Nadu government had approached the Court, alleging that the Governor’s delays were obstructing governance. The Court noted that while Article 200 does not define an exact deadline for a Governor’s action, it does not permit indefinite postponement either.