India, May 15 -- President Droupadi Murmu has exercised a rare constitutional provision and sought the Supreme Court's advisory opinion on 14 questions to settle the law on whether the president and governors need to follow timelines to decide on state bills referred for consent when the Constitution does not prescribe it.

The reference sought by the President from the Supreme Court has come in the context of a decision of the top court on April 8 which set timelines for the Governor and President to act on bills sent for their consent by state governments. As the issue of delay by governor on bills referred by state governments are under challenge in separate petitions filed by Kerala government and in the past have been raised by state...