The Supreme Court strongly criticized Tamil Nadu Governor Dr. RN Ravi for withholding assent to several Bills passed by the State Legislative Assembly.
The apex court noted that the Governor seemed to have “devised his own procedure” in handling the Bills, despite a previous ruling that governors cannot indefinitely delay or reject them.
The two-judge bench, comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, while hearing two petitions filed by the Tamil Nadu government against Governor RN Ravi for withholding assent to Bills between 2020 and 2023, referred to its November 2023 verdict in a case involving the Punjab government, which ruled that a Governor cannot indefinitely withhold approval for Bills passed by the Assembly. As the arguments remained incomplete, the hearing will continue today.