The Supreme Court on April 24 sent a strong message that Governors should return Bills they do not agree to “as soon as possible” and not sit over them, making State Legislative Assemblies wait indefinitely.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud referred to the first proviso to Article 200 of the Constitution, which mandates that Governors should not dally over Bills sent to them for assent after they had been passed by Legislative Assemblies.
The observation is part of a judicial order of the court in a petition filed by the State of Telangana complaining that Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has kept pending several important Bills sent to her for assent in September 2022.