In a significant ruling on federal powers, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi&rsquo;s decision to withhold assent to 10 state bills, calling it &ldquo;illegal&rdquo; and &ldquo;arbitrary&rdquo;. The court held that once the state legislature re-passes a Bill, the Governor is constitutionally bound to grant assent and cannot send it to the President for reconsideration.
&ldquo;The action of the Governor to reserve the 10 bills&nbsp;for the President is illegal and arbitrary. Thus, the action is set aside,&rdquo; the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R&nbsp;Mahadevan said. &ldquo;These bills&nbsp;shall be deemed to be cleared from the date they were re-presented to the Governor.&rdquo;
The apex court also ruled that Governor Ravi had not acted in &ldquo;good faith&rdquo;, asserting that his conduct violated the spirit of parliamentary democracy. It further emphasized that all actions taken by the Governor in relation to the 10 bills&nbsp;stood quashed.
In response, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK&nbsp;Stalin hailed the judgment as &ldquo;historic&rdquo;. He said, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian states. DMK will continue to struggle for and win state autonomy and federal polity.&rdquo;
The court&rsquo;s ruling rests on the interpretation of Article 200 of the Constitution, which outlines the Governor&rsquo;s powers when a Bill is presented for assent. As per the provision, the Governor may give assent, withhold assent, return the Bill for reconsideration, or reserve it for the President&rsquo;s review under specific circumstances. However, if a Bill is re-passed by the Assembly after reconsideration, the Governor &ldquo;shall not withhold assent&rdquo;.
The court clarified that the Governor cannot use the President&rsquo;s assent as a bypass after withholding his own. To prevent delays, it set strict timelines: one month for withholding assent or reserving the Bill with the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, three months if done independently. Once re-passed by the Assembly, the Bill must be assented to within one month.
The ruling reaffirmed the scope of judicial review over the Governor&rsquo;s actions under Article 200, while noting: &ldquo;This court is in no way undermining the Governor&rsquo;s powers. All actions of the Governor must align with the principle of parliamentary democracy.&rdquo;
Ravi and Stalin: A Complicated History
RN Ravi, a former IPS officer and ex-CBI official, was appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu in 2021. Since then, his tenure has been marked by tensions with the DMK-led state government. The state has repeatedly accused him of acting on behalf of the BJP, especially in delaying legislation and appointments. The Governor, in turn, has cited his constitutional authority to withhold assent.
Relations between Raj Bhavan and the state Assembly have soured publicly in recent years. In 2023, Governor Ravi declined to deliver the customary address at the start of the legislative session, stating that the draft contained &ldquo;numerous passages with misleading claims far from truth.&rdquo; The year before, he omitted parts of the speech referring to BR Ambedkar, Periyar, CN Annadurai, and the &ldquo;Dravidian Model&rdquo;.
A separate controversy erupted when he walked out of the Assembly over the absence of the National Anthem at the beginning of the session. While tradition in Tamil Nadu prescribes singing the state anthem Tamil Thai Valthu at the start and the National Anthem at the end, Governor Ravi insisted it be played on both occasions.
The Supreme Court&rsquo;s verdict is likely to have implications beyond Tamil Nadu, setting a precedent on the limits of gubernatorial discretion and reinforcing the primacy of elected legislatures in India&rsquo;s federal framework.
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Ravi’s his tenure has been marked by tensions with the Stalin-led state government

Court says Governor Ravi acted arbitrarily; court sets deadlines to prevent future delays

SC Slams TN Guv for Withholding Bills

Court says Governor Ravi acted arbitrarily; court sets deadlines to prevent future delays

April 8, 2025 | 15:23 IST