Governor must act on Bills passed by State legislature: SC on Punjab Guv's inaction
CJI also stated that the Chief Minister and Governor of Punjab have to do some "soul searching".
Punjab Governor vs CM Bhagwant Mann latest news: The Supreme Court on Monday heard a plea by the State of Punjab challenging the delay by Governor Banwarilal Purohit in giving assent to the bills passed by the State Assembly. It expressed concern over the delay by Governors in acting on bills passed by the respective State Assemblies and waiting for Supreme Court's intervention before giving assent to such bills.
The Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the Governors to address bills before they reach the top court. It also recalled the case of Telangana which was similar to that of Punjab.
"Governors must act even before the matter comes to Supreme Court. This has to come to an end when Governors act only when matters reach the Supreme Court. This happened in Telangana case also," the Top Court stated.
The Chief Justice of India also noted that the Punjab Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die on March 22, 2023 without being prorogued and later reconvened after three months.
The CJI further stated that the Chief Minister and Governor of Punjab have to do some "soul searching".
"Can this be done constitutionally? You have to hold a session in 6 months right? That is why life of ordinance cannot exceed 6 months. But governor says you adjourn the session for 3 months? Really speaking the budget session merges with the monsoon session. Is this really the scheme of the Constitution? Little bit of soul searching needed from CM and Governor. Governor must know that he is not a elected representative. He can withhold assent and sent it back once," the Court said before listing the plea for further hearing on Friday, November 10.
Notably, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit has granted assent only to 22 of the 27 bills passed by the Punjab Legislative Assembly.
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