Supreme Court Rules Governors Cannot Delay State Bills Indefinitely; Rejects Fixed Timelines Citing Separation of Powers

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday issued a significant constitutional clarification, stating that Governors and the President cannot be required to follow judicially imposed timelines while acting on state bills. The Constitution bench emphasized that setting such deadlines would violate the separation of powers and disrupt the constitutional framework governing Centre–State relations.

Delivering the advisory opinion in response to a rare presidential reference, Chief Justice of India Bhushan R. Gavai, speaking for a unanimous five-judge bench, noted that although decisions taken under Articles 200 and 201 are ordinarily non-justiciable, prolonged or deliberate inaction by a Governor may allow for limited judicial scrutiny. In such cases, courts may direct the Governor to choose one