New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider listing a plea of the West Bengal government alleging Governor CV Ananda Bose was withholding assent on as many as eight bills.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of lawyer Astha Sharma, appearing for the state government, that the plea filed in April is yet to be listed for hearing.
"I will consider," the CJI said.
The state government, in its plea, said the denial of assent without assigning any reason to the bills passed by the assembly was contrary to the Article 200 of the Constitution.
The Article provides for the process for a bill passed by the assembly of a state to be presented to the governor for assent. The governor may either assent or withhold assent or reserve the bill for consideration by the President.
"When a Bill has been passed by the Legislative Assembly of a State or, in the case of a State having a Legislative Council, has been passed by both Houses of the Legislature of the State, it shall be presented to the Governor and the Governor shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent therefrom or that he reserves the Bill for the consideration of the President," reads Article 200.
The bills, which are awaiting consent of the governor, are the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences(Amendment) Bill, the West Bengal Private University Laws (Amendment) Bill, the West Bengal Krishi Viswavidyalaya Laws, the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, the Aliah University (Amendment) Bill.
These were passed by the state assembly in 2022.
The West Bengal Town and Country (Planning and Development) (Amendment) Bill was passed in 2023.
Some bills, pending assent, pertain to the time when Jagdeep Dhankhar, the present vice president, was the governor of the state.