Supreme Court Hearing-Presidential Reference On Timelines For Bills' Assent-DAY-3 : Live Updates

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21 Aug 2025 10:26 AM IST

  • Supreme Court Hearing-Presidential Reference On Timelines For Bills Assent-DAY-3 : Live Updates

    A 5-judge Constitution Bench of the SupremeCourt will hear today the Presidential Reference by President Droupadi Murmu on 14 questions on the power to assent on Bills, including whether Court can fix timelines for the President/Governor to decide on Bills. The Presidential Reference, made under Article 143, came a month after Supreme Court's judgment in Tamil Nadu Governor's matter, wherein...

    A 5-judge Constitution Bench of the SupremeCourt will hear today the Presidential Reference by President Droupadi Murmu on 14 questions on the power to assent on Bills, including whether Court can fix timelines for the President/Governor to decide on Bills.

    The Presidential Reference, made under Article 143, came a month after Supreme Court's judgment in Tamil Nadu Governor's matter, wherein the Court held that the Governor did not act bona fide in reserving Bills to President. It held those bills as deemed assented. In the judgment passed by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, the Court held that the President must act on the Bills reserved for her under Article 201 within 3 months:

    The reference will be heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice PS Narasimha and Justice AS Chandurkar.

    Yesterday proceedings can be followed here 

    Follow this page for live updates from today's hearing. 

    Live Updates

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:21 PM IST

      SG: even if the context was lapsing, I read the ratio. The prayer was this that you provide a timeline otherwise it would lapse.

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:20 PM IST

      SG: it is cited, let me first show the facts of Purushottam.

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:19 PM IST

      SG: the outgoing cabinet say, our tenure is over, give assent to the Bill but Governor may choose and say, let me wait for the fresh elections. Outgoing people who have lost their time in the electoral mandate may not have applied their mind.

      J Narasimha: so the bill does not lapse

      CJI: two judges bench ought to have considered it

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:15 PM IST

      SG: Purushothaman Nambudiri- Bill lapsed because of non-prescription of timelimit.




       


    • 21 Aug 2025 12:13 PM IST

      SG: on timeline, there is direct judgment of five-judge bench. Article 200 was considered from view of time line and it was not prescribed. Article 200 follows 201 and in 201, time line is prescribed. All provisions where it was necessary to prescribe timelimit, it is there. Only question is can it be prescribed by a judgment?

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:07 PM IST

      SG: please see the directions in the Tamil Nadu judgment [reads it]. There are two things, the second direction that President and Governor will record reasons and if they don't follow time line, States can come to Supreme Court or HCs. This means one institution is directing the President to do it within some time. I respect the directions, there may be justification but it can't confer jurisdiction.

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:03 PM IST

      J Kant: if power of interpretation vests in Supreme Court, then interpretation of law have to be tried by the court

      SG: justiciability is something else, adding or constitutional interpretation is something else

      CJI: we have to go on literal interpretation

      SG: you can always call the law officer and say please do

      J Narasimha: if extreme view is taken to argue that you can't do it, you say we don't have the power to do it at all, how do you make the Constitution work?

    • 21 Aug 2025 12:01 PM IST

      J Kant: Against inaction of Governor, it can vary from state to state, action to action, or inaction, if aggreived State approaches and according to you, the judicial review is completely barred?

      SG: I am on timelimit.

      CJI: if there is a wrong, there has to be a remedy

      SG: for all problems, this forum may not be the solution

      CJI: this court is the custodian of the constitution

      SG: each organ is

      CJI: if constitutional functionaries does not discharge function without any reason, are the hands of this court tied?

    • 21 Aug 2025 11:59 AM IST

      SG: Suppose a bill is passed by Parliament that people of country is approaching that there trial is pending for 30 years, can the executive say there is a problem and your trial is treated to have been terminated, you have been deemed to have been acquitted. Justification can;t confer jurisdiction.

    • 21 Aug 2025 11:57 AM IST

      SG: Suppose a bill is passed by Parliament that people of country is approaching that there trial is pending for 30 years, can the executive say there is a problem and your trial is treated to have been terminated, you have been deemed to have been acquitted. Justification can;t confer jurisdiction.

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