Governor vs. Government is not limited to Tamil Nadu
In the recent past, prolonged delay in assenting to Bills has become a source of confrontation between Opposition-ruled States and their governors — provoking a battery of State governments to approach the Supreme Court alleging that such conduct is stymieing day-to-day governance.
When Punjab approached the top court in 2023, the then CJI D.Y. Chandrachud real power vests with elected representatives of people in a parliamentary form of democracy. He chided Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit (who was incidentally Tamil Nadu Governor too) that “you are playing with fire”
Kerala had moved two separate petitions against Governor Arif Mohammed Khan accusing him of trying to “defeat the rights of the people” of the State by indefinitely sitting on crucial Bills, especially those addressing post-COVID public health concerns.
Similarly, a collective of academicians, including former Vice Chancellors, urged the West Bengal government to approach the SC on the issue of Bills pending with the Governor, owing to which the search and selection committees for 31 Universities in the State have been stalled.
