India, Nov. 25 -- The presidential reference to the Supreme Court following the latter's judgment that set deadlines for gubernatorial and presidential action on Bills was not an expression of innocent constitutional curiosity. In State of Tamil Nadu v. Governor of Tamil Nadu, a two-judge Bench of the Court, in its adjudicative jurisdiction, essentially did two things: (i) It fixed a time limit for Raj Bhavans and the President in general for acting upon the Bills passed by the state legislatures; and; (ii) it evolved an idea of deemed assent, and invoked it when there was unreasonable and inordinate delay on the part of the governor of Tamil Nadu in acting upon Bills passed by the assembly that had been sent to him.

Now, the presidentia...