The Supreme Court’s judgment on the conduct of Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi is set to have a far-reaching impact on Centre-State relations, underscoring as it does India’s federal principles in what are undoubtedly fraught times. The verdict enhances the administrative autonomy of States, and regulates the functioning of constitutional offices, with implications for the entire country. In the case which concerns Mr. Ravi’s handling of 10 Bills passed by the State Assembly, the Court has effectively changed how Governors carry out their constitutional responsibilities. The intervention comes at a time when tensions between Governors and governments in States ruled by parties other than the BJP have peaked — especially over issues such as the appointment of Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) to State-run universities, where Governors serve as Chancellors. It is no coincidence that the Bills at the heart of the case sought to replace the Governor with the State government as the authority for appointing V-Cs. Mr. Ravi had forwarded these Bills to President Droupadi Murmu after they were re-adopted by the State Assembly. The Court held that the Bills were deemed to have received assent. It described the Governor’s action of referring the Bills to the President as “not bona fide”, and his conduct as “arbitrary, non est, and erroneous in law” — language that resembled a performance appraisal of the gubernatorial office. In normal circumstances, such a severe reprimand would have resulted in the resignation of the person whose conduct was under scrutiny: Mr. Ravi. But these are not normal circumstances, and Mr. Ravi was certainly playing the politically partisan role assigned to him by the government at the Centre, led by the BJP, which is inimically disposed to the DMK that is in power in Tamil Nadu. Hindrance was the strategy.
The significance of the judgment goes beyond the censure of a particular Governor. It lays down definite timelines for Governors to act on Bills. It ensures that Governors can no longer indefinitely delay legislation under the pretext of scrutiny or act whimsically or with impunity. The Court has reaffirmed a constitutional principle that has often been undermined: that Raj Bhavans must function with transparency, and accountability. With the legislation now in force, the Tamil Nadu government has the authority to appoint V-Cs and must act swiftly to fill these vacancies in 12 universities, and are made based on merit, integrity, and competence, given past allegations of corruption. This judgment is not merely a legal milestone; it is a call for constitutional morality and cooperative federalism, and restoration of dignity to the office of the Governor, who, as the Court pointed out, is expected to act as friend, philosopher, and guide to the State Cabinet, and not as a blunt instrument of the Centre.
Published – April 10, 2025 12:20 am IST
