File image of the Supreme Court | (Photo: PTI)
2 min read Last Updated : Nov 20 2025 | 11:25 AM IST
The Supreme Court on Thursday said that timelines cannot be fixed for governors to give assent to bills passed by the assembly, LiveLaw reported.
A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice AS Chandurkar pronounced its verdict on the presidential reference on fixing timelines for governors and the President to act on bills.
The Presidential reference under Article 143 of the Constitution was issued in May, shortly after a two-judge bench delivered its ruling in the Tamil Nadu Governor matter, a judgment that prescribed timelines for the President and governors to act on bills.
Delivering its verdict, the five-judge bench ruled that the concept of courts declaring “deemed assent” to bills when deadlines are missed runs contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and undermines the principle of separation of powers. It observed that such a move would effectively amount to the judiciary taking over functions that are constitutionally assigned to the Governor.
Governors cannot sit indefinitely over bills
The apex court also observed that the governors cannot indefinitely sit over Bills and should decide in a time-bound manner. It further said that if there is a prolonged or unexplained delay at the governor’s end, which stalls the legislative process, the Court may step in using its limited power of judicial review to require the Governor to decide within a specified timeframe, without commenting on the substance of the bill itself.
First Published: Nov 20 2025 | 11:06 AM IST
