The MHA is the nodal Ministry for processing and conveying a final decision through the President of India with respect to State legislations. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to file a review petition against the Supreme Court’s April 8 judgement allowing judicial intervention if Governors withhold assent to legislative Bills for too long. It also prescribed a three-month timeline for the President to decide on Bills referred by the Governor.
A senior government official told The Hindu that a petition was being readied against the judgement, which lays down definite timelines for the Governors and the President.
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The SC judgement came in response to a November 2023 petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the State’s Governor indefinitely withholding assent to ten Bills passed by the State Assembly, some as early as 2020.
‘Bill should have lapsed
A second government official said that the review was necessary as the Centre’s points were not reflected strongly enough during the arguments in the case.
“The judgement paves the way for restoring a ‘lapsed’ Bill. Per the Constitution, once the Bill has been returned, or assent to it withheld by the President, the legislation lapses. It has to be reintroduced in the Assembly for passage, with the amendments suggested or without, as desired by the Assembly. The April 8 judgement does not consider this ground,” said the second government official.
The Tamil Nadu government notified the 10 Acts in the Government Gazette on Saturday, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that they were “deemed” to have received assent.
‘Timelines must be reconsidered’
The judgement cited a 2016 office memorandum by the MHA, which made it “clear that a timeline of three months has been prescribed for the decision on bills reserved for the President“. The official added: “The timelines decided by the court will also have to be reconsidered.”
The review petition in the Supreme Court will have to be filed before the same Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan that pronounced the verdict.
The MHA is the nodal Ministry for processing and conveying a final decision through the President of India with respect to State legislations under Article 201 of the Constitution, with denial of assent possibe on three grounds: repugnancy with Central laws, deviation from national or Central policy, and legal and constitutional validity.
Published – April 13, 2025 12:14 am IST