New Delhi: The Supreme Court today took a firm stance against the governors of Tamil Nadu and Punjab after being accused by the state governments of postponing action on measures approved by the assemblies. The bench, which included Indian Chief Justice DY Chandrachud among its members, urged both governors to move forward with the bills that the elected legislature had approved.
"Please don't deflect the course of bills passed by a duly elected assembly. It's a matter of very serious concern," the Chief Justice said.
"You're playing with fire. How can the governor say this? We are not happy with what is happening in Punjab. Will we continue to be a parliamentary democracy?" the bench added while emphasising that India has been running on established traditions and conventions and they need to be followed, NDTV reported.
The Punjab administration had earlier filed a case in the Supreme Court, claiming that Governor Banwarilal Purohit had taken too long to sign legislation that the state assembly had approved.
According to the appeal, this "unconstitutional inaction" has caused the administration as a whole to come to a "grinding halt." In support of the Punjab government, senior attorney Abhishek Singhvi said that the governor had withheld seven bills, including ones pertaining to education and fiscal management. He claimed that his inaction had impacted the government and that the bills were delivered to the governor for approval in July.
The court has ordered Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to document the specific steps taken by Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit in response to the measures that the bill has passed.
The Punjab governor and the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government have a long-standing falling out.
Additionally, the government of Tamil Nadu had also asked the Supreme Court to get involved, claiming that the Governor was purposefully "undermining the will of people" by holding up the bills that were brought to him for approval. For the past few months, the governor of Tamil Nadu and the DMK administration have been at odds. Chief Minister MK Stalin and Governor Ravi, who was chosen by the Centre, have previously disagreed over pending bills, Stalin's foreign trips, the Dravidian form of government and the latter's comments regarding the state's name.