Weeks after the Telangana government moved the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Governor to take a decision on the Bills pending with her, Tamilisai Soundararajan has passed three legislations but sent back two others to the state government. The Governor has also forwarded two Bills to President Droupadi Murmu for her assent and kept three others with her, IANS reported.
There was no clarity about the bills that the Governor has cleared, those she sent back to the government, or the ones she forwarded to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The government is understood to have passed the Telangana Forest University Bill, the Jayashankar Agriculture University Amendment Bill, and the Telangana Women’s University Bill. She is reported to have sent the Azamabad Industrial Area Amendment Bill and the Telangana Motor Vehicle Tax Amendment Bill to the president.
The Governor’s decision came on a day when the Supreme Court resumed hearing on the state government’s petition.
In a writ petition filed in March, the state government accused the Governor of creating a “constitutional impasse” by refusing to act on several Bills passed by the state legislature.
The government said several key bills, including the Common Recruitment Board Bill, passed by the Assembly in September 2022 was pending before the Governor.
The petition pleaded with the Supreme Court to declare the delay by the Governor as illegal, irregular, and unconstitutional.
“As per the mandate of the Constitution, the Governor has to necessarily clear the bills, and any inaction to accord assent would lead to lawlessness,” the state government said in the Special Leave Petition (SLP).
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The state argued that if the Governor had any doubts about the bills, she could seek clarifications, but cannot sit on them.
“If she raises any issues, we will clarify them. She cannot sit on them, and the mandate of the Constitution in this regard is clearly in favour of the state,” the government contended.
This was the second time that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has knocked on the apex court’s door against the Governor.
In February, the government moved the Telangana High Court, seeking its direction to the Governor to give her approval to the state budget for 2023–24. The court, however, had suggested that both sides sort out the issue amicably.
Counsels of both the state government and Raj Bhavan had agreed to a compromise formula. While the government agreed to begin the Budget session with the Governor’s speech, the latter came forward to approve the Budget.
In November 2022, the Governor dismissed the allegations by BRS that her office was sitting on some bills forwarded by the state government for her assent. She stated that she was taking time to assess and analyse the bills before giving her consent.
(With IANS inputs)
