Justice Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan of the SupremeCourt ruled against Tamilnadu Governor’s unconstitutional bill reservation.
SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN TN GOVERNOR’S BILL RESERVATION
Case in news
The Supreme Court of India strikes down Tamil Nadu Governor’s decision to reserve re-enacted Bills for President .
Case Overview
Case Name: THE STATE OF TAMIL NADU vs. THE GOVERNOR OF TAMIL NADU AND ANR
In a landmark judgment dated 8th April, 2025 the Supreme Court quashed the Tamil Nadu Governor Dr. RN Ravi’s action of reserving 10 re-enacted Bills for the President’s assent. These Bills, some pending since 2020 were re-passed by the State Assembly after the Governor withheld assent. A bench of Justice Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan stated that the Governor acted without bona fides and against the constitutional mandate under Article 200 of Constitution.
Key Aspects
- The Tamil Nadu Governor withheld assent for 10 Bills, some were pending for over 3 years .
- After re-enactment by the State Assembly he reserved them for the President.
- The Supreme Court found the move politically motivated and constitutionally flawed.
- It showed the delay and disregard of constitutional procedure as laid down in earlier judgments.
Legal Insights
- Article 200 : Governor has only 3 options which are assent, withhold and return or reserve (at 1st instance only).
- Governor must act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (COM).
- No concept of pocket veto or absolute veto in the Indian Constitution.
- Article 142- was invoked to deem the Bills as assented in the 2nd round.
Court’s Verdict
The Supreme Court led by Justice Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan declared the actions of the Governor as illegal and set aside any steps taken by the President on the said Bills. The Supreme Court stressed that Governors must respect the will of the people and not obstruct legislative processes for political ends .
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