SC reserves verdict on TN's plea against Guv Ravi for withholding assent to bills

The Supreme Court on Monday, while reserving its verdict on the petitions filed by Tamil Nadu against Governor R N Ravi, questioned the governor on referring the bills "re-passed" by the Assembly to the President.

- Suchitra Kalyan Mohanty @ New Delhi

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan also questioned the governor's "silence" on the reasons for withholding assent to the bills passed by the Legislative Assembly.

"We are reserving the judgment. We will pass appropriate directions," said the two-judge bench after four days of extensive arguments in the case.

Earlier in the day, when the bench asked Attorney General (AG) R Venkataramani as to why the governor was silent for years and why did he not communicate with the government, the AG said the governor had not acted outside his jurisdiction by withholding assent and by referring the bills to the President after finding them repugnant (to central laws). Venkataramani submitted that there was no express provision in the Constitution that restrained the governor from sending the re-passed Bill to the President for consideration.