TN row: SC says business of governance must go on

The business of governance must go on, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, adding a channel of communication should always remain open between a state governor and the chief minister for resolving deadlocks over pending bills.

- Utkarsh Anand

As the court took up a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government against a stalemate over 10 bills that governor RN Ravi sent to the President after the state assembly had re-enacted them in a special session last month, it observed that the impasse over not only the bills but also over other issues of governance may get resolved if the two constitutional authorities sit across the table for a conversation.

"Let there be a breaking of a deadlock apart from this matter.

Let them meet. If there is some way out, the fact that bills have been sent can always be resolved... There must be some channel open between the CM and the governor," a bench led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said.

The bench, which also comprised justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, added: "Let them start talking to each other. After all, the business of government has to go on."

The top court's observations came after senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and P Wilson, representing the Tamil Nadu government, informed the bench that the chief minister has received a letter on Tuesday from Ravi, inviting him to tea.