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India
In a major move that could change how long state bills sit around without action, the Supreme Court has set a clear 3-month deadline for the President of India to take a call on any bill sent by a Governor. This is the first time such a time limit has been put in place.
Up until now, the Constitution had no stipulation as to when the President ought to make a decision; this led to often drawing things out to indefinitely long frustrations for state governments.
“Courts Can Step In If There’s a Long Delay,” Says SC
The top court made its message loud and clear. “It must be made clear that the courts would not be powerless to intervene in cases where the exercise of function by a constitutional authority is not being done within a reasonable time,” the judges said.
This means if the President doesn’t act on a bill within three months, state governments can knock on the Supreme Court’s door and ask it to step in and get things moving.
Why This Ruling Matters
This is a big deal because Article 201 of the Constitution, which talks about what happens when a Governor refers a state bill to the President, never said how long the President can take to decide.
So until now, there was nothing stopping the process from dragging on for months—or even years.
Now, thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling, there’s finally a clear timeline.
The court said that if the President doesn’t take a decision within the three-month window, state governments are free to file a writ petition and ask the court to force a decision. That kind of petition is called a writ of mandamus—basically a court order that tells a government official or authority to do their job.
This gives state governments a proper legal route to deal with stonewalling or political delays.
First Governors, Now the President
This decision follows an earlier move by the Supreme Court where it pulled up Governors for sitting on state bills without taking action. In some cases, Governors were refusing to sign off on bills or referring them to the President instead of deciding themselves.
Now, the court has closed that loophole too. If a bill goes to the President, it can’t just sit there forever anymore.
What It Means on the Ground
State governments have often complained that their work gets delayed for no reason just because the Governor or President doesn’t act on time. This ruling means the ball can’t be kept in the President’s court forever.
It’s being seen as a win for state governments, especially in cases where the Centre and the state aren’t ruled by the same party. Political games could be harder to play now.
Legal experts are calling this a much-needed fix. The Constitution didn’t give any time limit earlier—but now the Supreme Court has stepped in to plug that gap.
