The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said that governors must remember they have a responsibility to clear Bills passed by state assemblies as soon as possible under Article 200 of the Constitution.
A bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha said that the words “as soon as possible” in Article 200 are significant and must be kept in mind by all constitutional authorities, Bar and Bench reported. “The word “as soon as possible” [in Article 200(1)] has a significant Constitutional intent and must be borne in mind by constitutional functionaries,” the court said.
The bench was hearing a case filed by the Telangana government, seeking orders to state governor Tamilsai Soundararajan to clear 10 Bills that are pending before her.
The court disposed of the plea after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that now, no Bills were pending before the governor.
“In a parliamentary democracy, the Governor has no discretion to defer or delay necessary assent. Any refusal on part of the Governor including any delay will defeat the parliamentary democracy and the will of the people,” the Telangana government’s plea had said, according to Hindustan Times.
Off late, non-BJP-ruled state governments have alleged that the Union government is using the office of the governor to not allow state assemblies to carry out their business. The Tamil Nadu assembly recently passed a resolution on this, saying that the Union government must fix a timeframe within which governors have to clear Bills. The chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab have expressed their solidarity with the Tami Nadu assembly’s resolution.