HYDERABAD/ NEW DELHI: Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan granted her approval to three out of 10 pending Bills on Monday. Later in the day, the Supreme Court scheduled a hearing for the State government’s petition that seeks to direct the Governor to grant her assent to 10 crucial Bills passed by the State Legislature after two weeks.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala, acknowledged the details provided by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on behalf of the Governor regarding the status of the Bills.
Mehta informed the apex court that the Governor granted her assent to three Bills while reserving two Bills for the consideration and assent of the President of India. Furthermore, the Governor was actively considering three more Bills. However, one Bill wasn’t yet submitted by the Law Department.
The State government had appealed to the apex court in the first week of March to direct the Governor to fulfil her constitutional obligation and approve the 10 pending Bills. The apex court conducted a hearing on the matter in the last week of March. The Governor’s advocate on Monday submitted the letter, and as a result, the apex court postponed the case for two weeks.
Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the Telangana government, stressed that the Bills had been pending since September 2022 and argued that their delay sends a negative message. He further added that Bills in other States, such as Madhya Pradesh, are granted assent in a matter of 7-10 days, and questioned the reason for the pending Bills in Telangana. “The Governor is bound by the law. It (delaying) sends a very wrong message,” Dave stated.
In response to this development, State Finance and Health Minister T Harish Rao alleged that the Bills were only approved after the government filed a case in the Supreme Court.
He further alleged that despite meeting with the Governor, the Bills did not receive her assent. Additionally, Harish claimed that the Forest University Bill was forwarded to the President solely to impede the State’s progress.