N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, speaking at an event organised by the Tamil Nadu Intellectuals’ Forum.
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, on Tuesday said Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi would be among the top three worst Governors in the history of independent India.
He was speaking at an event organised by the Tamil Nadu Intellectuals’ Forum at Periyar Thidal on the recent Supreme Court verdict in the case regarding the Governor’s inaction on/withholding of assent to 10 Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly. “Today, there is a total attack on the concept of federalism. A Governor is the instrument. If we take a list of the worst Governors in the history of independent India, R.N. Ravi would be in the top three. Not just the BJP, but the Congress has also behaved badly in the Governor issue (in the past). The situation changed after the judgment in the S.R. Bommai case.”
Mr. Ram said the Supreme Court had previously been criticised by constitutional lawyers for becoming an ‘executive court’.
“I have also participated in making that criticism…in the Kashmir issue, Citizenship Amendment Act…there has been no justice….these are fair questions. However, that the Supreme Court is not an executive court has been made clear (by the recent verdict on the Governor’s inaction),” he said, adding that even the BJP-ruled States should welcome the verdict.
DMK Rajya Sabha member P. Wilson said the verdict had put a full-stop to the Governor’s tactics of delaying assent to Bills passed by elected State governments across India.
“For the first time in India, a law has come into force without the assent of the Governor or the President. Ten Bills have become law, and we have won the case. The Supreme Court states that no constitutional authority is above the law. I hope that if the time limit for the Governor is reviewed, the Supreme Court will not reject it. The Constitution is a living document, and it cannot be misused,” he said.
Mr. Wilson said the verdict had fixed a time limit of 30 days for the Governor of a State to take action on a Bill, and had said the courts could be approached if no action is taken within 30 days.
“If the Bill is sent to the President and withheld, a case can be filed in the court. If a Bill is re-enacted, a Governor should take a decision within 30 days. According to the verdict, Governors cannot delay. They don’t have any other work than signing Bills. The Governor’s office is operated with taxpayers’ money,” he said.
DMK Rajya Sabha member N.R. Elango said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had kept himself abreast of all the developments in the case. “As far as I know, Chief Minister Stalin didn’t file the case against the Union government or Governor R.N. Ravi. He filed the case because he wanted to protect State rights and Tamil Nadu’s interests,” he said.
Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani said the Supreme Court had not criticised any other Governor the way it had criticised Mr. Ravi.
Published – April 16, 2025 12:22 am IST
