'Resolve the Impasse with CM': SC to Tamil Nadu Governor Over Pendency of Bills

The Supreme Court on Friday asked Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi to hold a meeting with Chief Minister MK Stalin to resolve the impasse over the non-grant of assent to Bills passed by the state legislative Assembly.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the state government, that the governor has now remanded the readopted Bills for consideration by the President.

“We would like the governor to resolve the impasse. We will appreciate it if the governor resolves the impasse with the chief minister. I think the governor invites the chief minister and let them sit down and discuss it,” the bench said and fixed December 11 as the date to hear the plea.

“We are conscious of the fact that we are dealing with high constitutional functionaries,” it said.

Referring to Article 200 of the Constitution, the bench said the governor cannot send the bills to the President after they were readopted by the legislative assembly upon getting them back from the office of the governor earlier.

As per reports, Governor RN Ravi had returned ten bills this month, two of which were passed by the previous AIADMK government. Then the Tamil Nadu government, in a special session, re-adopted the ten bills and send it back to the Governor for this assent.

Earlier, the top court had questioned the delay on the part of Ravi in granting assent to several Bills passed by the state Assembly, asking why should governors wait for parties to move the top court with their grievances.

Posing tough questions, it asked what the governor doing for three years, noting that the Bills have been pending since January 2020. The top court was hearing the Tamil Nadu government’s plea alleging delay by Governor Ravi in granting assent to Bills.

The DMK government has accused the BJP-appointed Governor of deliberately delaying the bills’ clearance and scuttling the state’s development by “undermining” the elected administration.

(With inputs from PTI)