{"id":40869,"date":"2025-04-10T21:04:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40869"},"modified":"2025-04-10T21:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:35:07","slug":"sc-cleared-10-bills-article-142","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-04-2025\/sc-cleared-10-bills-article-142","title":{"rendered":"SC Cleared 10 Bills Using Article 142"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court invoked <strong>Article 142 to pass 10 Bills<\/strong> pending with <strong>Tamil Nadu Governor<\/strong> effectively <strong>granting assent to them.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Court exercised its <strong>rare powers<\/strong> to do <strong>&#8220;complete justice,&#8221;<\/strong> bypassing the Governor\u2019s role in the lawmaking process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Supreme Court ruled that <strong>Governors cannot delay or withhold assent to Bills indefinitely <\/strong>once they are passed or re-passed by the state Assembly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The ruling set a timeline for the Governor to act on Bills:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One month for re-passed Bills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Three months if the Bill is withheld contrary to Cabinet advice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong> The ruling redefines the relationship between the Centre and states, curbing the power of Governors and<strong> reinforcing the authority of state legislatures.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-02-2024\/daily-current-affairs-21-02-2024#:~:text=Article%20142%20of%20the%20Indian,as%20%E2%80%9Csuo%20moto%20jurisdiction.%E2%80%9D\"><strong><u>Article 142<\/u><\/strong><\/a><strong>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-02-2024\/daily-current-affairs-21-02-2024#:~:text=Article%20142%20of%20the%20Indian,as%20%E2%80%9Csuo%20moto%20jurisdiction.%E2%80%9D\"><strong>Article 142 of the Indian constitution<\/strong><\/a><strong> <\/strong>is a provision that empowers the Supreme Court to pass any decree or order necessary for doing complete justice in any case or matter pending before it.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It also makes such decree or order enforceable throughout the territory of India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The importance of Article 142 lies in the following aspects:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It enables the Supreme Court to <strong>exercise executive and legislative functions in certain situations,<\/strong> such as issuing guidelines, directions, or orders to the government or other authorities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It allows the Supreme Court to <strong>intervene in matters of public interest, human rights, constitutional values, or fundamental rights<\/strong>, and to protect them from any violation or infringement.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It enhances the Supreme Court&#8217;s role as the<strong> guardian of the constitution and the final arbiter of the law.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Criticism: <\/strong>It may encroach upon the <strong>principle of separation of powers <\/strong>and the domain of the executive and the legislature, and may <strong>invite criticism of judicial overreach or activism.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How are the Bills Passed by the Governor?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 200 <\/strong>provides that when a Bill passed by the State Legislature, is <strong>presented to the Governor, the Governor shall declare:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>that he assents to the Bill;\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or that he withholds assent there from;\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or that he reserves the Bill for the President&#8217;s consideration;\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>or the Governor may return the Bill (other than a Money Bill) with a message for re-consideration by the State Legislature.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reconsidered Bill:<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>If the bill is returned by the Governor for reconsideration and the Legislature passes it again without any change, the Governor is constitutionally bound to give assent.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Governor cannot then reserve it for the President&#8217;s consideration under Article 200.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reserving the Bill: <\/strong>If the Governor reserves a Bill for President&#8217;s consideration, the enactment of the Bill then depends on the assent or refusal of assent by the President.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 201: <\/strong>The President shall, under Article 201\u2014, either declare his assent or withhold his assent thereto.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Instead of following either of these courses, the President may (if the Bill is not a Money Bill) direct the Governor to return the Bill together with a message to the State Legislature for reconsideration.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The State Legislature shall then reconsider the Bill within 6 months of its receipt and, if it is again passed, it shall be presented again to the President for his consideration.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In contrast with the power of the Governor <\/strong>regarding a reconsidered Bill, it is <strong>not obligatory for the President<\/strong> <strong>to give his assent <\/strong>to a reconsidered Bill.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns of the States<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Interference in State Autonomy: <\/strong>States argue that the Governor\u2019s role in reserving bills for the President undermines the autonomy of state legislatures, especially when the bills are in the State List.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Misuse of Discretion: <\/strong>There are concerns that Governors reserve bills contrary to the advice of the State Council of Ministers, leading to misuse of discretionary powers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Subordination to Union Executive: <\/strong>States view the Governor&#8217;s ability to refer bills to the President as subordinating state legislative authority to the Union Executive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delays in Decision-Making: <\/strong>Many states complain of delays in the President\u2019s decision on reserved bills, which affects the timely enactment of laws.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Clear Guidelines: <\/strong>States suggest that there should be clear guidelines for the Governor and Union Government to prevent arbitrary use of discretion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Federalism: <\/strong>Some states believe that Articles 200 and 201, which allow the Governor to reserve bills, are inconsistent with the true federal structure of India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There were demands to establish clear, uniform guidelines for the Governor&#8217;s discretion in reserving bills, ensuring transparency and consistency in decision-making.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Introducing time-limits on the duration of passage of bills will ensure timely formation and implementation of policy and will also strengthen the federal structure of India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/why-sc-ruling-on-tamil-nadu-governors-powers-stands-out-sparingly-used-powers-invoked-strong-message-sent-9933048\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>I<\/strong><\/a><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/why-sc-ruling-on-tamil-nadu-governors-powers-stands-out-sparingly-used-powers-invoked-strong-message-sent-9933048\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">E<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Supreme Court invoked Article 142 to pass 10 Bills pending with Tamil Nadu Governor effectively granting assent to them.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Court exercised its rare powers to do &#8220;complete justice,&#8221; bypassing the Governor\u2019s role in the lawmaking process.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Supreme Court ruled that Governors cannot delay or withhold assent to Bills indefinitely once they are passed or re-passed by the state Assembly.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/10-04-2025\/sc-cleared-10-bills-article-142\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40869"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40896,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40869\/revisions\/40896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}