Delhi: A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a landmark opinion, ruling that a fixed timeline cannot be imposed on the President or state Governors for granting assent to bills passed by legislative assemblies.
However, the court unequivocally stated that Governors cannot withhold bills indefinitely, and in cases of prolonged delay, the judiciary can intervene.The bench, led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, clarified that while Governors must act within a reasonable timeframe, the concept of a “deemed assent”—where a bill is automatically considered approved after a certain period—is “antithetical to the spirit of the Constitution” and violates the doctrine of separation of powers.
