Tamil Nadu Governor Returns 10 Bills, Week After Court Expressed Concerns

Chennai: 

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Thursday returned ten pending bills – two of which were passed by the earlier AIADMK government – to the Assembly, sources in the state law department told NDTV.

Mr Ravi’s action comes days after the Supreme Court came down hard on him and his Punjab counterpart, as it heard complaints by the two state governments about delays in clearing bills.

The court called the complaints “a matter of serious concern”.

Hours after the bills were returned, Speaker M Appavu called for a special session (on Saturday) in which it is expected that the ruling DMK will send them straight back, in an attempt to force Mr Ravi’s hands as it will become mandatory for the Governor to sign off on them so they become laws.

The Tamil Nadu government has accused the BJP-appointed Governor of deliberately delaying the bills’ clearance and scuttling the state’s development by “undermining the elected administration”.