Governors cannot sit over Bills endlessly, say Supreme Court judges

Three of the five judges on the Presidential Reference Bench on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) orally observed, along with the States of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, that Governors cannot sit endlessly over Bills placed before them for assent.

Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, Justices Vikram Nath and P.S. Narasimha separately remarked that Governors could neither delay the wisdom of the legislature indefinitely nor impede the functioning of the Constitution. “No organ can impair the functioning of the Constitution,” Justice Narasimha said.