Supreme Court Says Courts Cannot Fix Timelines for Governor, President on Bill Assent

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday clarified that neither the judiciary nor the legislature can mandate specific timelines for the President or State Governors to grant assent to Bills passed by State legislatures. The opinion was delivered by a Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, which examined a set of 13 constitutional questions referred to it by President Droupadi Murmu under Article 143 of the Constitution.

The reference sought clarity on several issues involving the legislative process, most notably whether the Governor or the President could be bound by a fixed timeframe while considering Bills for assent. This comes amid repeated stand-offs between State governments and Raj Bhavans across the country, where pending Bills have triggered constitutional concerns and political friction.

The Bench noted that while constitutional functionaries are expected to act within a “reasonable time,” the judiciary cannot prescribe rigid deadlines, as doing so would amount to overstepping the separation of powers. The Court underlined that Articles 200 and 201 provide discretion to the Governor and the President, and that discretion cannot be judicially curtailed through mandatory time-bound directives.