Today, the Supreme Court expressed its concern regarding Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's decision to withhold his assent from 12 bills that had been approved by the State legislature.

A bench comprising, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, acknowledged the significant concerns raised by the State of Tamil Nadu and subsequently issued a notice to the Central government.

Furthermore, the Court sought the assistance of the Attorney General and the Solicitor General in this case.

During the hearing, the Court considered a plea from the State government, which claimed that the Governor had been delaying decisions on matters related to authorizing the prosecution of public servants and the early release of certain prisoners.

The State Government informed the bench that 12 bills, which were passed by the Legislative Assembly between January 13, 2020, and April 28, 2023, are currently awaiting the Governor's approval. Additionally, there are four files that were submitted to the Governor between April 10, 2022, and May 15, 2023, requesting authorization for the prosecution of public servants involved in alleged moral turpitude-related crimes.

Furthermore, there are 54 files for the premature release of prisoners that were submitted to the Governor between August 14, 2023, and June 28, 2023, which are still pending. The State government also pointed out that due to the delay in the appointment of members to the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), the Commission is functioning with only four members instead of the mandated 14.

Senior Advocates Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi and P Wilson appeared for the State Government. The lawyers highlighted that as per Article 200, the Governor has to return the bills "as soon as possible".

In a previous hearing concerning a petition from the State of Punjab, the court had made an oral observation that the practice of Governors taking action on bills only after the State Government approached the Court should cease.

 The State of Kerala has also filed a petition seeking similar concerning the Governor of Kerala. Earlier, a similar situation had happened in the State of Telangana, where the Governor acted on the pending bills only after the Government filed a writ petition.