PIL against Tamil Nadu bills passed after Supreme Court ruling on Governor's powers
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging the 10 Amendment Acts passed after the Supreme Court verdict which declared Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sitting on bills as 'illegal'.The amendments, for the first time, bypassed the Governor's approval, giving the State Government the power to appoint Vice Chancellors and making the Chief Minister the Chancellor of state-run universities, replacing the Governor.advertisementThe controversy began when the DMK-led State Government filed a case against the Governor in the Supreme Court, which ruled that the 10 re-passed Bills had received assent under Article 142.The Court further stated that the Governor does not have "pocket veto" powers and set a timeline of one to three months for the Governor to act on a Bill, depending on the three options provided.
The PIL, filed by K Venkatachalapathy, seeks to declare the 12th Amendment Act null and void.The petitioner argues that the amendments violate University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, which mandate the Chancellor panel to appoint the Vice-Chancellor based on recommendations from a search panel.The petitioner also questions the ambiguity around the term 'Government' in the Acts, asking whether it refers to the Assembly, Cabinet, or Executive Head of the Government.advertisementJustice GR Swaminathan and Justice V Lakshmi admitted the petition and have ordered the State and Central Governments to make their submissions by next week. The matter is scheduled for hearing on May 21st.
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