The Supreme Court said on Tuesday (September 9, 2025) that even if the word is not mentioned as soon as possible in Article 200 of the Constitution, it is expected from the governors to decide on the bills within the right time. The Supreme Court was sending a reference on behalf of President Draupadi Murmu and hearing about the 14 questions asked, in which objections have been raised about setting the deadline for the President and the Governor. President Draupadi Murmu had sent this reference to the April 8 verdict, in which a three -month deadline was set for the Governors and the President to take a decision on the bills.

Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan was also mentioned during the hearing on the Presidential Reference. Arif Mohammad Khan was also the Governor of Kerala from 2019 to January 2025. During this time, there were differences with the Kerala government many times and the Kerala government says that during his tenure, he kept the bills hanging for a long time.

What did CJI Gawai say when Arif Mohammad Khan’s name comes?
During the hearing on Tuesday also, the issue was kept and Senior Advocate K.K. on behalf of the Kerala government. Venugopal Said that former governor of the state Arif Mohammad Khan adopted the practice of sending them to the concerned ministries when the bill was received. On this, Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gavai said, ‘We will not decide on personal matters.

The Presidential Reference also mentions Article 200, which controls the powers of the Governor in relation to the bills passed by the State Legislature, allowing them to approve or prevent the bill, send back to reconsideration or preserve the bill for the President’s views. The Supreme Court was hearing the idea sought by the President on this issue whether the time limit could be implemented on the Governor and the President under Article 200 and 201.

Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gawai Justice Suryakant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice A.S. Chandurkar’s bench, listening to the arguments of various parties at the eighth day on the Presidential Reference, once again said that it would only interpret the constitution and would not investigate the facts of personal matters.

What does Article 200 of the Constitution say?
In the Presidential Reference, the Supreme Court has sought a constitutional intent in this regard whether the court can set a time limit for the Governors and the President to consider the bills passed by the Legislative Assembly. As per the first provision of Article 200, the Governor, after being presented for approval of the Bill, can return it to reconsideration as soon as possible, provided it is not a money bill. After reconsideration, the Governor will have to approve the bill if the bill is sent back from the assembly.

On behalf of the Punjab government, Senior Advocate Arvind Datar requested the Constitution Bench that the constitution makers have put the word as soon as possible in Article 200 and there is no obstacle for the court in setting a time-limit of three months to approve the Bills. The bench said, “Even if there is no word as soon as possible, the Governor is expected to take action within the appropriate time.”