The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre, besides secretaries to the governors of Bengal and Kerala, on petitions filed by the two states alleging deliberated inaction by the governors in clearing bills passed by the Assemblies.

A bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, while seeking response from the authorities concerned, posted the matter for further hearing to August 20.

Former attorney-general K.K. Venugopal, appearing for Kerala, submitted that several bills passed by the Assembly have been pending for over eight months. He said the state was also challenging the action of governor Arif Mohammed Khan to refer some of the bills to the President for reconsideration.

Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Jaideep Gupta, appearing for Bengal, complained that the moment states file petitions before the apex court the governors start clearing the bills. The Bengal government had challenged governor C.V. Ananda Bose’s alleged refusal to grant assent to at least eight bills passed by the Assembly relating to education.

The state has referred to Article 200 of the Constitution which stipulates that the governor has only three options while deciding the fate of the bill — he or she may either give their assent to a bill, withhold assent, or refer to the President for consideration. The state has cited the SC’s earlier judgments in the cases of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Punjab that the governor cannot indefinitely withhold
the bills.