India, May 15 -- On the very day Justice BR Gavai assumed office as the 52nd Chief Justice of India, President Droupadi Murmu invoked Article 143 of the Constitution to seek the Supreme Court's advisory opinion on a critical constitutional question: Can the judiciary impose timelines on the President's discretion in granting assent to bills?

The move marks a significant constitutional confrontation, as Murmu posed 14 pointed questions to the apex court, mainly challenging the judicial directive that mandated a three-month deadline for the President to decide on bills under Article 201-a timeline introduced by the Supreme Court in its April 8, 2025 ruling. This judgment, delivered by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, came in the back...