SC: Guv can't 'sit on bills', sets timeline for clearance

The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared 10 bills which were stalled and reserved by Governor R N Ravi for President's consideration, and also set a timeline for all governors to act on the bills passed by state assemblies.

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A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan held, "In the facts of the present case, the reservation of the 10 bills for the consideration of the President in the second round would be termed as illegal, erroneous in law and just liable to be set aside. As a result, any subsequent action taken upon the said bills by the President also does not survive and is thus set aside."

The bench fixed a timeline between a month and three months for the governors to decide the fate of the bills cleared by the state assemblies, keeping in mind the constitutional significance of Article 200 and the role it plays in the federal polity of the country.

The bills having been pending with the Governor for unduly long period of time and the Governor having not acted bonafide in reserving the bills for the consideration of the President...are deemed to have been assented by the governor on the date when they were presented to him after reconsideration," the court said.