What was TN governor doing for 3 yrs?: SC questions delay on bills

On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly held a special session to re-adopt all ten bills, which were sent back to Governor RN Ravi for his assent

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday questioned the delay on the part of the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi in disposing of the bills submitted for his assent since January 2020, as it resumed hearing the Tamil Nadu government's plea against prolonged delays in clearing bills.

"These bills have been pending since 2020. What was he doing for three years?" the bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra asked.

Observing that the Governor's inaction was a "matter of serious concern", the top court noted that the Governor decided to "withhold" assent on ten bills, only after the court issued notice on the writ petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Government on November 10.

"Mr Attorney, the Governor says he has disposed of these bills on November 13. Our concern is that our order was passed on November 10. These bills have been pending since January 2020. It means that the Governor took the decision after the Court issued notice. What was the Governor doing for three years? Why should the Governor wait for the parties to approach the Supreme Court?", CJI DY Chandrachud asked.

The top court's observations come days after Ravi returned ten bills - two of which were passed by the earlier All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government. On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu Assembly held a special session to re-adopt all ten bills, which were sent back to the Governor for his assent.

The bills were passed in the wake of Ravi returning them on November 13. The re-adopted bills were later sent to the Governor for his assent.