Chennai: "The Governor thinks that he has the power and can run a separate government. If he has any self-respect, he should resign from the post," said senior journalist N Ram during an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, after Supreme Court delivered a 'landmark' verdict on the issue of Tamil Nadu Governor's indefinite stay on the crucial bills sent by the state government.
Notably, the Supreme Court criticised Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for allegedly delaying the approval of 10 key bills, and termed his actions as 'illegal and arbitrary'. Hearing the writ petitions filed by the Tamil Nadu government, the SC bench comprising Justices JP Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, said, "The action of the Governor to reserve the 10 bills for the President's assent is illegal and arbitrary. Thus, such a decision has been set aside. All actions taken by the Governor thereto for the 10 bills are set aside. These Bills shall be deemed to be cleared from the date it was re-presented to the Governor."
Following the SC verdict, the eminent journalist shed light on the apex court's ruling and the role of Governor with regard to a bill's approval and passage. He stated, "The Governor, as a rule, is bound by aide and advise of the council of ministers. The Governor is only a titular head, is only a Constitutional Head. The Governor is obliged to respect the wishes, aspirations and the decisions of the people and their elected representatives."
"The court has already clearly cited in the case filed by the Punjab state government on what exactly is the power of a state Governor. The judges have clearly stated that the Governor does not have much power of his own and that he should listen to what the state government says."
As per Ram, when a bill reaches the Governor's desk, he has three options before him.
- Approve the bill.
- Withholding approval is for a specific period. If amendments are required, they should be mentioned and the bill should be sent back to the Assembly.
- If the bills are for rare cases or reducing the power of the High Court, they can be sent to the President.
When asked about the time limit for a Governor to take action on a bill, the senior journalist said, "The time limit is not two years or five years. It should be provided immediately."
He further pointed out that the Supreme Court has set a time limit. "That is, the Supreme Court, in its ruling in the case related to Governor RN Ravi, clarified that - If the Governor decides to suspend the bills, it should be done within a month. If he decides to send the bill to the President, it should be done within a maximum of three months," N Ram said.
He continued, "Among the 10 bills, the Governor also kept the old bill to rename the Fisheries University after Jayalalithaa. The Governor kept 10 such bills in his pocket. The court has said that this is illegal and a completely wrong trend. The Supreme Court itself has made 10 bills into laws using special powers. I don't know if this has happened before."
"Governor RN Ravi can no longer be the Chancellor of the Universities. This is a historically important verdict. This should be seen as a victory not only for the people of Tamil Nadu but also for entire country. The Governor can no longer do such things arbitrarily. This Governor is the one who said that Tamil Nadu will change its name. He is directly attacking the state government. Since the Governor (RN Ravi) is an agent of the union government, this verdict is a defeat for the union government as well," criticised Ram.
He also reiterated Ambedkar's words - "No matter how good the Constitution is, if those who govern it are not right, the law will become bad."
"The Governor thinks that he has the power and he can run a separate government. (Tamil Nadu Chief Minister) Stalin has already said that as long as Annamalai is there, it is good for us. If the Tamil Nadu Governor has any self-respect, he should resign from the post. If that does not happen, the Union Government should remove the Governor," Ram said.
"The Governor does not have much chance to appeal against the Supreme Court's verdict. This verdict will bind all the state Governors," he added.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who hailed the Supreme Court's verdict as historic, also said in the Assembly yesterday, "This is a big victory not only for Tamil Nadu but for all states. DMK will continue to fight for state autonomy and the federal principle and win."
