Do not turn a blind eye to what happened in Nepal; SC tells Centre

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that while Indians can take pride in the Constitution, it is important to also look at what has happened in neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh. The court made this observation during hearings on the issue of Governors delaying action on state bills.

The remarks came after the Solicitor General defended Governors who hold back bills, which angered the bench. Chief Justice B.R. Gavai told the Solicitor General: “Look at what is happening in Nepal.” Justice Vikram Nath, part of the five-judge Constitution Bench, added that Bangladesh too had seen a major youth protest.

The bench referred to the Gen Z protests in Nepal and the recent unrest in Bangladesh, warning that constitutional breakdowns can push nations into crisis. The court stressed that the system built on the Constitution should not be ignored. The hearing is focused on whether the President’s reference to the Supreme Court will remain valid following the verdict that set a three-month limit for Governors to decide on bills.

Centre’s stand provoked court
The Solicitor General argued that delays in taking decisions on bills were rare. From 1970 to 2025, only 20 bills were referred by Governors to the President. In 90% of cases, Governors had acted within a month, he said. This reasoning, however, provoked the Chief Justice, who responded sharply: “The court does not accept state-level statistics; then how can we accept the Centre’s numbers?” Justice Vikram Nath also questioned the relevance of such data, saying the issue was not about how many bills were approved or what happened before and after 2014.