Tamil Nadu vs Governor Over Bills: The Supreme Court will now take up the matter on December 11.
New Delhi/Chennai:
The Supreme Court today asked Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi to hold a meeting with Chief Minister MK Stalin and resolve the impasse over delays in clearing bills.
“We would like the Governor to resolve the impasse. I think the governor invites the chief minister and let them sit down and discuss it,” the Supreme court said.
The Supreme Court’s observation came after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the state government, told the top court that the Governor has referred the 10 bills re-adopted by the assembly to President Droupadi Murmu.
A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said that the Governor observed that the bills re-adopted by the assembly cannot be reserved for the President.
The Supreme Court will now take up the matter on December 11.
Mr Ravi earlier this month returned ten bills – two of which were passed by the earlier AIADMK government. The Tamil Nadu Assembly then held a special session to re-adopt all ten bills, which were sent back to the Governor for his assent.
The Tamil Nadu government has accused the BJP-appointed Governor of deliberately delaying the bills’ clearance and scuttling the state’s development by “undermining the elected administration”.
Mr Stalin, in a stinging attack on Mr Ravi, told the assembly that withholding assent without any reason was unacceptable.
“He returned the bills due to his personal whims and fancies… it is undemocratic and anti-people to not give assent. The Governor can’t withhold assent if the bills are passed in the assembly again and sent to him,” he said.
“Governor R N Ravi does this to keep all the powers with himself. He believes an elected government has no powers,” said Tamil Nadu Law Minister Sevugan Regupathy.
The Supreme Court on November 10, 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.
“These bills were pending since 2020. What was he doing for three years?” it asked.
