{"id":46692,"date":"2025-05-16T11:34:23","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T06:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46692"},"modified":"2025-05-18T00:44:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T19:14:31","slug":"key-presidential-references-in-india-from-cauvery-dispute-to-2g-spectrum-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/key-presidential-references-in-india-from-cauvery-dispute-to-2g-spectrum-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Presidential References in India: From Cauvery Dispute to 2G Spectrum Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Presidential Reference India Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Cauvery Water Row, 1991: Presidential Reference<\/li>\n<li>Gujarat Gas Transmission Act, 2001: Presidential Reference<\/li>\n<li>Gujarat Elections, 2002: Presidential Reference on Poll Timing Post-Riots<\/li>\n<li>2G Telecom Licences, 2012: Presidential Reference on Auction as a Mandate<\/li>\n<li>Presidential Reference India FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Presidential Reference India Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>President Droupadi Murmu has sought the Supreme Court\u2019s opinion\u2014through a Presidential Reference\u2014on whether the Court can use its Article 142 powers to set deadlines for the President and Governors to act on state Bills.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Historically, various governments have used the Presidential Reference mechanism to seek legal clarity on complex issues with political implications.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Notable examples include the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute, the Cauvery water issue, election timing after the 2002 Gujarat riots, and the 2G spectrum case.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cauvery Water Row, 1991: Presidential Reference<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In June 1991, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal ordered Karnataka to release 205 tmcft of water to Tamil Nadu.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Karnataka\u2019s Response<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>In defiance of the Tribunal\u2019s order, the then Karnataka government issued the Karnataka-Cauvery Basin Irrigation Protection Ordinance to override the directive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Presidential Reference<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The President sought the Supreme Court\u2019s opinion on three questions:\n<ul>\n<li>Whether Karnataka\u2019s Ordinance was constitutionally valid.<\/li>\n<li>Whether the Tribunal\u2019s order qualified as a &#8220;report and decision&#8221; under Section 5(2) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.<\/li>\n<li>Whether the Tribunal had the authority to grant interim relief.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Supreme Court\u2019s Verdict<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Ordinance (later an Act) was ultra vires the Constitution and beyond Karnataka\u2019s legislative competence.<\/li>\n<li>The Tribunal\u2019s order was a valid report and decision under Section 5(2).<\/li>\n<li>The Tribunal could grant interim relief, but only upon reference by the Central Government.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Gujarat Gas Transmission Act, 2001: Presidential Reference<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In 2001, the Gujarat government enacted the Gujarat Gas (Regulation of Transmission, Supply and Distribution) Act.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This led to a Presidential Reference questioning the constitutional validity of the Act, as oil and gas fall under the Union List.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Key Questions Referred to the Supreme Court<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Is natural gas (including LNG) a Union subject under Entry 53 of List I, giving the Union exclusive legislative power?<\/li>\n<li>Do states have competence to legislate on natural gas under Entry 25 of List II (State List)?<\/li>\n<li>Did Gujarat have the authority to enact this law?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Supreme Court\u2019s Verdict<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Court ruled that natural gas and LNG fall exclusively under Union jurisdiction.<\/li>\n<li>States do not have legislative competence to make laws on these subjects.<\/li>\n<li>Therefore, the Gujarat Act, in relation to natural gas and LNG, was ultra vires the Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Gujarat Elections, 2002: Presidential Reference on Poll Timing Post-Riots<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>After the 2002 Gujarat riots, the then state government recommended early elections.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Assembly, though due for polls in March 2003, was dissolved in July 2002 by Governor S. S. Bhandari on the advice of the Narendra Modi Cabinet.<\/li>\n<li>The last sitting of the Assembly had been held on April 3, 2002, triggering a six-month window under Article 174 to reconvene the House.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Election Commission\u2019s Stand<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Election Commission (EC) stated that elections could not be held before October 3, 2002, due to logistical and security constraints.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Presidential Reference<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Then President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam referred three questions to the Supreme Court:\n<ul>\n<li>Does Article 174 depend on the EC\u2019s authority under Article 324 regarding election scheduling?<\/li>\n<li>Can the EC assume Article 356 (President\u2019s Rule) will be invoked if Article 174\u2019s timeline is breached?<\/li>\n<li>Is the EC obliged to fulfill Article 174 by utilizing all Union and State resources to conduct elections?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Supreme Court\u2019s Ruling<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Article 174 applies only to existing (\u201clive\u201d) Assemblies, not dissolved ones.<\/li>\n<li>Article 324 and 174 operate in different spheres\u2014the former governs elections, the latter concerns Assembly sessions.<\/li>\n<li>The EC\u2019s discretion to schedule polls was upheld, and there was no constitutional requirement to hold elections within six months of the last sitting in case of premature dissolution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Outcome<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Within an hour of the verdict, the EC announced elections for December 12, 2002, validating its authority to independently manage the electoral schedule even amid political pressure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2G Telecom Licences, 2012: Presidential Reference on Auction as a Mandate<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>In the wake of the Supreme Court\u2019s February 2012 verdict cancelling 122 2G telecom licences, the then government led by Manmohan Singh sought clarification through a Presidential Reference.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Key Issue in the Reference<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The central question was: Whether the only permissible method for disposal of all natural resources across all sectors and in all circumstances is by the conduct of auctions?\n<ul>\n<li>The concern stemmed from the Court\u2019s earlier observations that natural resources should be allocated through auctions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Supreme Court&#8217;s Ruling<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A Constitution Bench ruled that auctions are not the only constitutionally valid method for allocating natural resources.<\/li>\n<li>Auction is an economic policy, not a constitutional requirement.<\/li>\n<li>The Court deferred to the Executive\u2019s wisdom, stating it was not competent to evaluate economic methods like auctions versus other modes of allocation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Observations<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Court refused to prescribe a single method for all sectors and situations.<\/li>\n<li>Economic decisions involve complex trade-offs, and judicial overreach in such matters is not appropriate.<\/li>\n<li>The judgment underscored that policy-making lies within the domain of the Executive, not the Judiciary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Presidential Reference India FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What was the 1991 Cauvery water dispute about?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> It questioned Karnataka&#8217;s defiance of the tribunal order; SC declared its ordinance unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> Why was Gujarat&#8217;s Gas Act challenged in 2001?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Because natural gas regulation falls under the Union List, not State List.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What did the 2002 Gujarat election reference clarify?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> SC ruled EC has discretion; elections need not be held within six months of dissolution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> Was auction mandated in the 2G telecom case?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> No, SC said auction is a policy choice, not a constitutional mandate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> Why are Presidential References important?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> They help clarify constitutional grey areas and guide governance through SC\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/political-pulse\/ayodhya-gujarat-2002-polls-presidential-reference-10008935\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore major Presidential References in India\u2014Cauvery dispute, Gujarat elections, and 2G licences\u2014with Supreme Court verdicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}