In an advisory opinion issued on Thursday (November 20), the Supreme Court held that while the President and Governors cannot indefinitely delay action on bills, constitutional courts cannot impose rigid, judicially enforceable timelines for them to grant assent.

The apex court also ruled out the concept of “deemed assent” if timelines are breached, stating that drawing timelines for constitutional functionaries like the Governor and President would be antithetical to the doctrine of separation of powers and the “elasticity” provided by the Constitution.

However, despite rejecting fixed timelines, the apex court maintained that Governors and the President cannot sit over bills endlessly and must act within a “reasonable time”.

Unanimous decision

The five-judge Constitution Bench headed

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