New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- The Supreme Court on Monday underscored that a governor's inherent powers cannot override constitutional provisions, expressing a "prima facie" view that withholding assent to a bill requires its return to the state legislature, not subsequent referral to the President at the governor's discretion.
A bench comprising justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan made these observations while hearing the Tamil Nadu government's plea against governor RN Ravi's actions to withhold assent and, in some instances, refer bills to the President years after their enactment.
"If the governor were not to send it back and refer it to the President after withholding it for years, is it not inconsistent with the constitutional provision?"...