The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India, B.R. Gavai and comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice P.S. Narasimha, and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar, commenced proceedings in a significant Presidential Reference under Article 143(1) of the Constitution. The reference seeks the Court’s advisory opinion on whether the judiciary can prescribe binding timelines for the President and State Governors in granting, withholding, or reserving assent to Bills passed by State legislatures.
During the initial hearing, the Supreme Court issued formal notices to the Union of India and all State Governments, directing that they be served through official emails and standing counsels. The Bench clarified that all constitutional questions raised would remain open for full adjudication. The matter is now scheduled for further hearing on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
The Attorney General for India, R. Venkataramani, was requested to assist the Court in view of the constitutional complexity involved. The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, will represent the Union of India. The Chief Justice noted, “There are issues of interpretation of the Constitution. We have requested the learned Attorney General to assist us.”
Objections regarding the maintainability of the reference were raised during the hearing. Senior Advocate K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the State of Kerala, and Senior Advocate P. Wilson, for the State of Tamil Nadu, submitted that the matters raised in the reference were already adjudicated by the Supreme Court in its April 8 judgment.
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