Can we sit idle if Guv fails: SC

PREZ REFERENCE ON ASSENT TO BILL

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Calling itself the ‘custodian of the Constitution’, the Supreme Court (SC) Thursday asked if it could ‘sit idle’ if a constitutional functionary like Governor failed to discharge duties as it reserved the verdict on the presidential reference on grant of assent to Bills.

In the marathon hearings spanning 10 days, a Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice BR Gavai heard legal luminaries including Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Gopal Subramanium, Arvind Datar and others on the presidential reference which centered around Article 200 and 201 and the key issue whether constitutional court can impose timelines for Governors and President to assent to Bills.

On the last day, the bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar, interjected Mehta when he referred to the separation of powers as one of the basic structures of the Constitution and said the court should not fix timelines and interfere with the discretionary powers of Governors.