Supreme Court seeks responses from the Centre, governors of Kerala and West Bengal

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought response of the Centre and secretaries to the governors of the two states on a batch of petitions filed by the West Bengal and Kerala assemblies seeking assent to bills passed by them and sending them to the President for consideration.

A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra issued notice to the Union Home Ministry and the secretaries to the two governors. Kerala also alleged that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has sent some bills to President Droupadi Murmu and they are yet to be approved.

Taking note of the petitions, the apex court issued notices to the Union Home Ministry and secretaries of Kerala Governor Khan and his West Bengal counterpart C V Ananda Bose and sought their response within three weeks.

The court also directed the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government to make the Home Ministry a party to the petition. The senior counsel appearing for the Kerala government said the bills have been pending for the last eight months.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for West Bengal, said they will make the Centre a party and file a written note seeking the court’s help in deciding the petition.