SC to interpret Constitution in Presidential reference

'We are not going into individual instances... but we will only interpret the provisions of the Constitution. Nothing else,' says the CJI On August 26, the top court wondered whether the court should sit powerless if a governor delays assent to Bills indefinitely

- MPOST BUREAU

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will only interpret the Constitution while dealing with the Presidential reference on whether the court could impose timelines for governors and President to deal with Bills passed by state Assemblies.

The remark by a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai came when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said if senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for parties opposing the reference, is going to rely on examples of constitutional provisions which concerned Andhra Pradesh, among others, then he needs to file a reply, as he has not argued on those aspects.

Mehta told a bench also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar: "If they (Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments) are going to rely on examples of Andhra Pradesh etc., we would like to file a reply on this. Since, we need to show how the Constitution was taken on a joyride since its inception... let us see if we want to travel down that dirty path."