A special session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly will be convened on Saturday, November 18 to re-pass the bills returned by Governor RN Ravi, Assembly Speaker M Appavu announced on Thursday, November 16. The decision comes in the wake of the Supreme Court pulling up Ravi for his inordinate delay in assenting to bills passed by the Assembly. In October this year, the Tamil Nadu state government had petitioned the apex court against RN Ravi regarding the delay in assenting to bills and had said that the governor had positioned himself as a “political rival to the legitimately elected government.”
During the last hearing, the Supreme Court had observed that it was a matter of serious concern that the Governor was sitting on various bills and other important documents sent to him by the government. In its petition the state government had also said that Ravi had not signed remission orders, day to day files and appointment orders, adding that there are delays in approving recruitment orders, granting approval to prosecute MLAs involved in corruption.
Following the Supreme Court’s order the Governor is said to have returned ten out of the ten bills pending before him. One of the bills is aimed at clipping the Governor's authority to appoint vice chancellors of state-run universities. There is also a bill, among others, seeking prosecution of ex-ministers from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
If the Assembly passes these bills again, it will be mandatory for the governor to give his assent.
Speaking to media persons in Tiruvannamalai, Speaker Appavu said that a special session will be held under Assembly Rules 26. “As I have learnt that many legislative bills have been returned by the Governor, the state government wanted to pass these bills again after discussions at a special session in the Assembly,” he said.
Replying to a query about the Supreme Court’s recent observation, Appavu said that the special session has been convened only to pass the bills again and not to discuss the apex court’s observation or any other issue.
The Speaker mentioned that the special law against online rummy and the bill against NEET were returned in the first instance by the Governor. However, after these laws were passed again in the Assembly, the Governor either approved them (in the case of online gambling) or sent them to the President for approval (bill against NEET).
Earlier this year, the state government had said that Ravi had not provided his assent to 14 bills that were pending with him at the time. In 2022, the state government’s ordinance against online gambling due to a series of suicides, lapsed as the Ravi failed to provide his assent Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Bill. Similarly the Governor delayed his assent to the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill that seeks to exempt Tamil Nadu’s students aspiring for medical and dental courses from NEET. Ravi returned the Bill to the Assembly after the delay for reconsideration and it was once again passed by the Assembly in February, 2022. The Bill is now pending before President Droupadi Murmu.
“As per the law, the Governor cannot return those Bills that are passed for a second in the Assembly. Only those bills that have been returned by the Governor will be passed again in this special session,” Appavu further added.
With inputs IANS