SC verdict on November 20 on timelines for Governors, President to clear state bills

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court's five-judge Constitution bench, headed by the Chief Justice B R Gavai, will pronounce the judgement on Thursday on President Droupadi Murmu's reference case seeking the top court's opinion on whether timelines can be imposed on Governors and the President for granting assent to State bills. The bench of the apex court had reserved its verdict on September 11, after a marathon hearing continued for 10 days, as it heard extensively the arguments and submissions from the Centre, several state governments, political leaders, parties and other respondents. The five-judge Constitution bench hearing the Presidential Reference case was headed by the CJI Gavai and four other senior-most judges of the SC, comprised of Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar. Earlier on April 8, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, while hearing the case of State of Tamil Nadu against Governor of Tamil Nadu, held that the State Governor must act within three months if withholding assent or reserving a Bill, and within one month when a bill is reenacted. It also prescribed that the president should decide on the bills reserved for her consideration consideration by the Governor within three months from the date on which such a reference is received. President Murmu, while exercising her power under the rarely used Article 143 (1), moved the apex court on May 13. In the presidential reference, challenging the SC's April 8 verdict, it appeared that 14 questions of law have arisen and they are of such nature and public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court.