In A First, Tamil Nadu Enacts 10 Laws Without Governor’s Assent Following Supreme Court Ruling

This decision marks the first time in India’s history that a state government has enacted laws through the judicial route, bypassing the customary role of the Governor and President in the process.

Since 2020, the Tamil Nadu government had faced repeated delays in getting assent from Governor RN Ravi for the bills passed twice by the state legislature.

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In a landmark legal and political development, Tamil Nadu government has successfully turned 10 bills into law without the required assent from Governor RN Ravi or President Droupadi Murmu. The unprecedented move follows a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week that declared the Governor's refusal to sign the bills as "illegal."

TN Brings Laws Into Force 

Since 2020, the Tamil Nadu government had faced repeated delays in getting assent from Governor RN Ravi for the bills passed twice by the state legislature, reported NDTV. The prolonged stand-off between the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Governor reached a boiling point as Ravi not only withheld assent but also referred the bills to the President after the legislature re-enacted them, a move the Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional.

In its ruling, the apex court invoked Article 142 of the Indian Constitution, allowing the Tamil Nadu government to operationalise the legislation without waiting for the Governor’s sign-off.as per a report on Bar and Bench. This decision marks the first time in India’s history that a state government has enacted laws through the judicial route, bypassing the customary role of the Governor and President in the process.

Senior Advocate P. Wilson, who represented the Tamil Nadu government in the case, expressed his satisfaction, took to X stating, “Pursuant to the order of the Hon. SC, the Tamil Nadu Government has notified the 10 Acts in the Government Gazette, and they come into force! History is made as these are the first Acts of any legislature in India to have taken effect without the signature of the Governor or President but on the strength of the judgment of the Supreme Court!”

Meanwhile, this ruling is seen as a major victory for the DMK-led government, which has long been in conflict with Governor Ravi, accusing him of stalling legislative progress due to political differences. One of the key outcomes of this development is that several major changes, particularly in higher education and university governance, will now be implemented under the new laws.