New Delhi,

November 21, 2025

Press Release

CPI Expresses Disappointment Over Supreme Court’s Opinion on the Presidential Reference on Governor’s Assent to Bills

The National Secretariat of the Communist Party of India issued today (November 21, 2025) the following statement:

The CPI expresses its disappointment at the Supreme Court’s response to the Presidential Reference on the powers of Governors to grant assent to Bills duly passed by elected State Assemblies. By declining to uphold any time-bound framework for action by Governors or the President, the Court’s opinion risks diluting its own April judgment, which had taken serious exception to the Tamil Nadu Governor’s prolonged withholding of assent and the referral of Bills to the President. This shift weakens an important judicial safeguard meant to ensure that the will and rights of the people, expressed through their elected representatives, is not thwarted by procedural delays or discretionary inaction.

At a moment when India’s federal structure is already under visible strain due to increasing centralisation, the Court’s opinion may have the unintended consequence of emboldening Governors, especially in Opposition-ruled states, to stall legislative and policy decisions without accountability. Without clear timelines or enforceable norms, the danger of prolonged inaction grows, effectively curtailing the mandate of democratically elected governments. Such a situation undermines the people’s sovereignty and hampers the policy prerogatives of states, whose governance responsibilities cannot be held hostage to unelected authorities.

The CPI urges the Supreme Court to reconsider its opinion in the interest of strengthening democratic, cooperative federalism. It is equally incumbent upon Parliament to take cognisance of the expanding pattern of gubernatorial interference or inaction, and to initiate a comprehensive discussion on placing effective checks on this unelected colonial-era office. The autonomy of state governments and the primacy of the people’s mandate must remain at the heart of our constitutional scheme.

 Sd/-

Roykutty

Office Secretary

Communist Party of India

Central Office 

New Delhi

Tele: 011 23235546

e-mail: cpiofindia@gmail.com