"President of India has done well in making the reference": Ashwani Kumar on President Droupadi Murmu questioning Supreme Court

New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): Addressing the issue of President Droupadi Murmu questioning the Supreme Court's deadline ruling in state bills, former law minister Ashwani Kumar highlighted that "President of India has done well in making the reference."
Ashwani Kumar asserted that there are two views on the matter and emphasised that a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court will hopefully return the advisory opinion, and according to that advisory opinion, things will become clear.
"There are two views on the matter - The President of India has done well in making the reference. A constitutional bench of the Supreme Court will hopefully return the advisory opinion, and according to that advisory opinion, things will become clear. I think there has to be a way out of what is appearing to be a conflict between the judiciary and the executive, which is not good for the country", Ashwani Kumar told ANI.
The former Indian law minister noted that the issue is important as it is both a "constitutional" and "political" development. The latter said that the reference made by President Murmu to Supreme Court touches a "fundamental" questions about the Indian democracy.
"This is a very important constitutional and political development. The reference the President has made to the Supreme Court touches upon a very fundamental question about India's democracy, namely, the boundaries of power between the judiciary and the executive. There has been serious discussion in the country after the SC delivered its judgement on the question", Ashwani Kumar added.
In a firm rebuttal to the Supreme Court's April 8 verdict, which imposed deadlines on the Governor and the President for deciding on state Bills in the Tamil Nadu government versus Governor case, President Droupadi Murmu has questioned the validity of such a ruling, emphasizing that the Constitution does not prescribe any such time frames.
The President's response highlights that Article 200 of the Constitution of India delineates the powers of the Governor and the procedures for granting or withholding assent to Bills, as well as reserving a Bill for the President's consideration. However, Article 200 does not specify any timeline for the Governor to exercise these constitutional options.
Similarly, Article 201 outlines the President's authority and process for assenting to or withholding assent from Bills, but it does not impose any deadlines or procedures for the exercise of these constitutional powers. (ANI)