The Supreme Court on Monday expressed concerns over the governors of various states abstaining from acting on bills passed by their respective State Assemblies. These governors are waiting for the Supreme Court's intervention before granting permission for such bills. A bench led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachund stated that the governors must act on the bills before they even reach the apex court.
The bench recalled a similar in Telangana. This year, the Telangana government moved to the apex court requesting instructions from the state's governor, Tamilisai Soundararajan, to approve ten crucial bills that the legislature has passed, which are currently pending on her desk.
The State of Punjab presented a case before the court that Governor Banwarilal Purohit had been unwilling to sign off on laws that the State assembly had either passed or suggested to be tabled. Out of the 27 measures enacted by the Punjab Legislative Assembly during the Aam Aadmi Party-led administration's tenure, only 22 have received the approval of the Punjab governor.
There is a long-standing conflict between the Punjab governor and the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Days after writing to Mann, in which he promised to review all proposed laws on their merits before allowing them to be tabled in the Assembly, Purohit approved two of the three measures sent to him on November 1. To bring money bills to the House, the governor must give his or her consent. However, the governor had refused to approve three money bills in his last letter to the chief minister dated October 19.
The Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Indian Stamp (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2023, which were scheduled to be introduced in the Assembly during the session of October 20–21, have not received Purohit's authorization.
The governor had said that any activity undertaken during the session scheduled for October 20–21—which was envisioned as an extension of the budget session—was "unlawful" and "bound to be illegal". On 20 October, the Punjab Government dismissed its two-day session.
Editorial - Sally (Anh) Ngo,
November 7, 2023
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