{"id":63532,"date":"2025-09-15T10:48:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T05:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=63532"},"modified":"2025-09-15T10:49:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T05:19:38","slug":"presidential-reference-on-governors-assent-to-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/presidential-reference-on-governors-assent-to-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"Presidential Reference on Governor\u2019s Assent to Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Presidential Reference Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court has reserved its opinion on the Presidential reference under <\/span><b>Article 143(1) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the Constitution<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">concerning the powers of the President and Governors in granting assent to Bills.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The reference<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> comes after the SC\u2019s ruling (April 2025) that held <\/span><b>Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi\u2019s delay<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in assenting to 10 Bills unconstitutional, invoking <\/span><b>Article 142<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to enforce assent and prescribing timelines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This development raises fundamental issues of <\/span><b>federalism, separation of powers, and judicial review<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India\u2019s constitutional framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Nature of the Reference<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Presidential reference under Article 143(1)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It enables the President to seek SC\u2019s opinion on questions of law\/fact of public importance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>States\u2019 argument<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The reference is an indirect appeal against the SC\u2019s ruling, <\/span><b>violating stare decisis<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; review lies only before the same Bench.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Centre\u2019s argument<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The <\/span><b>court\u2019s advisory jurisdiction under Article 143 is distinct<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and could be used to clarify constitutional doubts, even if past rulings existed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Past practice:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> SC has earlier refused to answer Presidential references.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Governor\u2019s Powers &#8211; Aid and Advice vs. Discretion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>States\u2019 stance:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The governor is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (<\/span><b>Article 163<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Governance must reflect <\/span><b>popular mandate,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not the Governor\u2019s discretion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historical rulings of SC have restricted the Governor&#8217;s role to avoid overreach.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Centre\u2019s stance:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The governor is not a \u201cpostman\u201d or \u201cshowpiece.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Discretionary <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">powers exist in <\/span><b>exceptional <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">circumstances.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A 2004 Punjab law unilaterally terminated a tripartite river-water sharing treaty, highlighting the importance of a Governor\u2019s discretionary powers. The SC in 2016 declared the law unconstitutional.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Data (from 1970 to the present)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Only 20 out of 17,000 bills were withheld by Governors, with 90% granted assent within the first month.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Governor\u2019s Veto and \u201cPocket Veto\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>SC\u2019s ruling (State of TN vs Governor of TN case)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Governor <\/span><b>cannot indefinitely withhold assent<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, concluding that a Governor cannot exercise a \u201cpocket veto\u201d over the elected government.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Centre\u2019s argument<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Withholding assent means the Bill lapses, citing the <\/span><b>Government of India Act 1935<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as precedent, where the Governor\u2019s \u201cinitial withholding was an absolute veto.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>States\u2019 rebuttal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Governors are not colonial-era Viceroys &#8211; such discretions were consciously omitted in the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Judicial Enforcement of Timelines<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>SC ruling:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Introduced <\/span><b>timelines <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for assent to prevent delays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Centre\u2019s objection:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Timelines <\/span><b>amount to judicial amendment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Constituent Assembly rejected fixed timelines, replacing a six-week limit with the phrase \u201cas soon as possible\u201d in <\/span><b>Article 200<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impasses should be resolved politically through dialogue between the state and the Governor, rather than the court acting as a \u201c<\/span><b>judicial headmaster<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>States\u2019 argument:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAs soon as possible\u201d implies <\/span><b>urgency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The timelines in the April 2025 ruling did not specify when automatic assent would take place; rather, they specified when judicial review would be available.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Fundamental Rights and Writ Jurisdiction<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Centre\u2019s position<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: States cannot invoke <\/span><b>Article 32<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, meant for fundamental rights of individuals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>States\u2019 counter:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Governors act as <\/span><b>links <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between Union and States.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denying writ remedy to states <\/span><b>weakens federal balance.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even Andhra Pradesh (where the ruling party is a coalition partner in the Centre) defended states\u2019 right to move SC.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Larger Constitutional and Political Implications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Executive vs. judiciary<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The reference has become a flashpoint testing limits of judicial review over executive action.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Polyvocal court challenge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Whether a 5-judge Bench will reaffirm or differ from the 2-judge ruling of April 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Federalism at stake<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Opposition-ruled states back judicial intervention; Centre resists it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Impact on democratic governance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Issue of whether Governors\u2019 discretionary power can override popular will of elected legislatures.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Clarity on Governor\u2019s role<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A constitutional definition of timelines and scope of discretion is necessary to prevent misuse.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening federalism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Balance must be maintained between Union authority and state autonomy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial prudence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: SC must respect separation of powers but ensure constitutional morality is upheld.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Political dialogue<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: State\u2013Centre\u2013Governor coordination mechanisms need strengthening to avoid judicialisation of governance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Long-term reform<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Consideration of a constitutional amendment or codification of Governor\u2019s functions to prevent recurring disputes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In essence, the Presidential reference will determine how India negotiates the delicate balance between federalism, constitutional conventions, and judicial oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-law\/sc-presidential-reference-10250235\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>IE<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The SC has reserved its opinion on the Presidential reference under Article 143(1) of the Constitution concerning the powers of the President and Governors in granting assent to Bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":56530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[564],"class_list":{"0":"post-63532","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-presidential-reference","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63532","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\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}