Supreme Court has raised concerns about the Tamil Nadu Governor’s delay in approving bills and processing files.

On November 10, the Supreme Court expressed apprehension regarding the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s delay in addressing numerous bills passed by the legislature and files submitted by the State Government.

The State Government informed the bench that despite being submitted for assent between January 13, 2020, and April 28, 2023, 12 bills passed by the Legislative Assembly remain pending with the Governor. Additionally, four files seeking sanction for the prosecution of various crimes, involving alleged moral turpitude on the part of public servants and 54 files for the premature release of prisoners, submitted to the Governor between April 10, 2022, and June 28, 2023, are still pending. Moreover, due to the unresolved proposals for the appointment of TNPSC members, the Commission is currently operating with only four members instead of the designated 14.

In a previous hearing concerning a similar petition from the State of Punjab, the court had verbally expressed its disapproval of the trend wherein Governors act on bills only after the State Government approaches the Court. Notably, the States of Punjab and Tamil Nadu are not the sole entities lodging complaints with the Supreme Court against their respective Governors; the State of Kerala has also filed a petition seeking similar relief against the Governor of Kerala. This situation mirrors a prior incident in the State of Telangana, where the Governor took action on pending bills only after the Government filed a writ petition.