President Seeks Supreme Court Opinion on Timelines for Assent to Bills

• 17 May 2025

On 15th May 2025, President Droupadi Murmu invoked Article 143(1) of the Constitution to seek the Supreme Court’s opinion on the 8th Aprilverdict that imposed timelines for Governors and the President to act on state Bills.

Key Points

• Article 143(1) Reference: The President referred 14 key questions to the Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality and justiciability of timelines for action under Articles 200 and 201.
• Timeline Verdict: The Supreme Court had mandated that the President act on Bills reserved by Governors within three months, despite no such timeline in Article 201.
• Governor’s Powers Questioned: The President questioned whether judicial review can apply to a Governor’s discretion under Article 200, especially in light of Article 361’s immunity.
• Legal Conflict: The reference highlighted conflicting past judgments on whether the President’s assent under Article 201 is justiciable.
• Tamil Nadu Case Trigger: The reference follows the court’s April ruling declaring Governor R N Ravi’s delay in assenting to 10 Tamil Nadu Bills as unconstitutional.
• Awaiting Constitution Bench: As per Article 145(3), a five-judge bench will examine and respond to the President’s queries.