SC sets aside TN Governor reserving 10 bills for President’s assent, terms it ‘illegal and erroneous’

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Tamil Nadu Governor S N Ravi, who held on to 10 bills sent by the state government for the President’s assent after re-enactment by the state legislature, was ‘illegal and erroneous’, as per reports.

The court also said that the bills, even if approved by the President, would be considered void or ‘non-est’ (non-existent legally), even if the governor's assent was implied when he sent them to the president.

The oldest of the bills dates back to 2020 and was only sent to the president after another SC judgment in 2024 that observed that the government could not veto the bills indefinitely.

However, they were sent after the state government had sent the bills for the second time after the Tamil Nadu Assembly approved them again.

The rules for the President’s assent for the governor are mentioned in Article 200 of the Indian Constitution which defines the powers of a governor concerning bills passed by the State Legislature. It grants the governor the authority to either give assent, withhold assent, or return the bill to the Legislature for reconsideration.

For this, the court laid down the timelines for different scenarios, as per reports.