SC seeks reply from Centre and Kerala, Bengal governors for withholding assent to bills
The two Opposition-rules states have moved the top court as their governors continue to delay assenting to bills or referred them to the president.
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The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and the secretaries to the governors of West Bengal and Kerala on separate pleas filed the two state governments against denial of assent to bills, reported PTI.
Article 200 of the Constitution gives governors the power to either grant assent to a bill, reject it or reserve it for the president’s consideration in certain cases.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing pleas from the Kerala and West Bengal governments that are run by the Opposition parties. The court has given three weeks to the Centre and the governors of the two states to file their reply, reported Bar and Bench.
At Friday’s hearing, the Left Democratic Front government of Kerala urged the court to lay down guidelines on when the governors can return or refer bills to the president.
The Kerala government has moved the top court against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan for withholding assent to at least eight bills. It also moved the court against President Droupadi Murmu for withholding assent to four of the seven bills referred to her by Khan.
“There is a confusion in the minds of various Governors in the country as to what their powers are in regard to assenting to bills,”...
