Supreme Court Slams Guv Ravi

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has been sitting on 10 bills that were passed by the state assembly. The bills were passed twice in the state assembly. The government has moved the court and taken up a legal battle after requesting the Governor and waiting patiently for a really long time. The state government filed a case against the Governor in the Supreme Court. The government also filed a petition regarding the intervention of the Governor in university vice-chancellors’ appointments.
After hearing the case, the Apex Court delivered its verdict on Tuesday. The Court ruled that the Governor’s action of withholding his assent to the bills since January 2020, and sending them for the President’s assent, is ‘illegal and erroneous.’ The court also said that any consequential action taken by the President on these bills would also be illegal.
The court also declared that the bills, when passed for the second time by the assembly, are deemed to have the Governor’s assent. The Apex Court also slammed the Governor for not acting honestly. The judgment clarified that the Governor does not have the ‘veto’ power and the right to prevent the bill passed by the state assembly from being implemented. It also exercised its special power to implement the 10 bills.
Meanwhile, Ravi has also been hindering the appointment process of university vice-chancellors. The obstacles were also removed by this verdict. It looks like vice-chancellor posts will be filled soon, and the Chief Minister will become the Chancellor of the varsities.
In this situation, the President should either withdraw Ravi from the Governor’s post, or Ravi himself should resign from the post. If he continues to hold the post, it may set a wrong example among the public and is against the provisions of the Constitution. The union government should never allow this to happen.
Following the Supreme Court’s verdict, Ravi has lost the moral qualification to continue as the Governor. To protect his dignity, he should immediately vacate the Raj Bhavan on his own will without continuing to hold the post.
It will be unjust if we forget to appreciate and congratulate the Supreme Court judges Justice R Mahadevan and Justice JB Pardiwala. We should also congratulate and appreciate Chief Minister MK Stalin for restoring democracy and upholding the provisions of the Indian Constitution.