In a momentous and unprecedented development in Indian constitutional history, the Tamil Nadu Government has officially notified the implementation of 10 legislative Acts that were earlier delayed by Governor RN Ravi. This rare move comes after the Supreme Court of India ruled that the Governor's prolonged inaction amounts to "deemed assent" and declared that the Bills stood assented as per constitutional provisions.
This action marks the first time in India that a State Government has operationalized laws solely on the basis of a Supreme Court judgment, bypassing the traditional requirement of formal approval by the Governor or the President.
“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,”
posted Senior Advocate and DMK Rajya Sabha MP P. Wilson on social media platform X.
Read Also:- Supreme Court: Rule of Law Must Safeguard Foreign Investors' Funds While Ensuring Fair Trial for Accused
Background and Court's Intervention
The issue dates back to multiple legislative Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly that were left pending or returned by Governor RN Ravi. After a first round of assent was withheld, the Assembly re-enacted these Bills and presented them again. However, the Governor reserved them for the President’s consideration, a move challenged as unconstitutional by the State.
A two-judge bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan delivered the landmark verdict. The Court held that the Governor had no authority to reserve the Bills for the President's assent after they were reintroduced and passed again by the Assembly.
“The action of the Hon’ble President after the date of reserving the said Bills is non-est in law. The said Bills shall be deemed to have been assented to by the Hon’ble Governor on the date on which they were re-presented to him for assent,”
the Supreme Court stated in its judgment dated April 8, 2025, in W.P.(C) No.1239/2023.
Following this decision, the Government of Tamil Nadu issued a formal notification on April 9, 2025, enforcing the laws with retrospective effect from November 18, 2023, the date on which they were re-submitted to the Governor.
Read Also:- SC Directs President to Act on Reserved Bills Within 3 Months: States Can Seek Judicial Remedy for Delay
The 10 Acts now officially in force, include several key amendments related to university administration, particularly removing the Governor from the position of Chancellor in state universities:
- The Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (Amendment) Act, 2020
- The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Amendment) Act, 2020
- The Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2022
- The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University (Amendment) Act, 2022
- The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai (Amendment) Act, 2022
- The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (Amendment) Act, 2022
- The Tamil University (Second Amendment) Act, 2022
- The Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (Amendment) Act, 2023
- The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Amendment) Act, 2023
These laws are primarily aimed at reforming university governance and replacing the Governor with state-appointed officials in the role of Chancellor.
👇 Read The Notificaton
