The Supreme Court will pronounce its opinion Wednesday on the crucial Presidential reference regarding the timelines for the President and Governors to grant assent to legislative Bills. The verdict will be delivered by a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, just days before his retirement on November 23.

The reference, made by President Droupadi Murmu under Article 143 of the Constitution, placed fourteen questions of law before the apex court. At the heart of the matter is a contested federalism issue: can the judiciary set a fixed timeline for Governors to act on Bills passed by elected state assemblies?

The case stems from a ruling in April in which a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court held that the Tamil Nadu Governor’s delay in granting

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