At least 33 Bills await assent of Guvs, President in four Oppn-ruled states

New Delhi: As the Supreme Court on Thursday held that the court cannot impose any timelines on governors and the President to grant assent to Bills passed by state Assemblies, at least 33 Bills in four Opposition-ruled states are pending for governor or presidential assent to date.

However, experts said the 10 Bills of Tamil Nadu which were granted deemed assent by Justice J B Pardiwala-led bench on April 8 by exercising its plenary power under Article 142 will not be affected as they have become laws and have been notified in the Gazette.

Among the 33 Bills awaiting assent by Governors or the President, 19 are from West Bengal, 10 from Karnataka, three from Telangana and at least one from Kerala.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s judgment, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Thursday said at least 19 Bills passed by the state Assembly, including key pieces of legislation, are still awaiting the governor’s assent.

Banerjee said a Bill loses significance when it remains stuck without clarity.

“A Bill is brought for the benefit of the people. The government brings it, it is debated, and dissent is recorded. Once passed, it goes to the governor. He may give assent, refuse assent, or return it with recommendations. If returned and passed again, he must give assent,” the West Bengal Speaker said.

At least 10 Bills passed by the Karnataka legislature including one meant for providing four per cent reservation for Muslims in contracts in civil works are pending for Presidential assent, official sources here said on Thursday.

According to them, no Bill is pending before the Kanataka governor for approval.

Among the Bills from the state pending for the President’s assent include The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025. It provides for reserving for Muslims, four per cent of contracts in civil works valued up to Rs 2 crore, and goods/services contracts up to Rs 1 crore. It was referred to the centre in June 2025.

The ruling Congress leaders in Telangana took exception to the state government’s other proposals, including Backward Classes Quota Bill, allegedly pending with Governor Jishnu Dev Varma.

Fulfilling an election promise, the Congress government on September 26 issued an order to provide 42 per cent reservation to BCs in local bodies.

The government order followed two Bills passed by the state legislature earlier this year to enhance BC reservation to 42 per cent in education, employment and local bodies.

The Bills were forwarded to the governor and are currently awaiting presidential assent. The ruling Congress had promised before the 2023 Assembly polls to provide 42 per cent reservation to the BCs Another government proposal pending with the governor is the nomination of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) under the governor’s quota in August last week.

However, Governor Varma is yet to clear the appointment.

Azharuddin was sworn in as a minister recently pending the Governor’s clearance of his nomination as MLC.

Several legislations passed by the Kerala Assembly are still awaiting the governor’s approval and some of them have been pending for more than a year.

According to government sources, many of the Bills have been pending, some for more than a year, since the time when Arif Mohammed Khan was the governor and these include amendments made to the University Laws.

There are several University Laws (Amendment) Bills awaiting the governor’s approval from the time of Khan, who was at loggerheads with the ruling Left government over the administration of varsities in the state.

Some of the amendments pertained to the appointment of vice chancellors, teaching staff and different chancellors for the various universities in the state.

During the row between Khan and the state government over the administration of the universities and appointment of VCs, the Assembly had passed a law to appoint different chancellors to the various universities in Kerala.

That particular Bill is yet to be approved by the Governor, government sources said.

The number of Bills pending for the president and governor gains significance in the backdrop of the Supreme Court on Thursday holding that the court cannot impose any timelines on the two to grant assent to Bills passed by state Assemblies. At the same time, the SC said governors do not have unfettered powers to sit on the Bills for “perpetuity”.

In its unanimous opinion on the Presidential Reference, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai also held that “indefinite delay” by the governors will be open to “limited judicial scrutiny” and that deemed assent of Bills cannot be granted by the apex court by using its plenary power under Article 142. Deemed assent would amount to virtual takeover of the role of a “separate constitutional authority,” it said.