NEW DELHI: Supreme Court has severely criticized the governor's stance of delaying the decision on the bills passed by the West Bengal Assembly. With this, the governors who have held back many bills in opposition-ruled states, including Kerala, have come under pressure.

The court reminded that the governor has the responsibility to take a decision on the bill passed by the assembly. A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Dutta clarified that even though the Constitution does not mention a time limit, it does not mean that a decision should not be taken. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had stated last week that the Kerala government would approach the Supreme Court with the same demand. At the same time, the court said that the governor and the chief minister should sit together and talk and the meetings should not stop. This is also relevant in Kerala. Recently, Kerala Governor Arif Muhammad Khan had openly said that the Chief Minister does not come to meet him and does not inform him about administrative matters.

The court was angered by Governor Ananda Bose's failure to take a decision in the Universities Amendment Bill which was passed earlier this year, which would remove the governor from the post of chancellor of universities in West Bengal and replace him with the chief minister. Similarly, the Kerala Assembly's bill to remove the Governor from the post of Chancellor has also been stalled in the Raj Bhavan for two years.

The Calcutta High Court had upheld the governor's decision to appoint interim VCs in 13 West Bengal universities. The withholding of bills became a subject of the court's consideration when a petition was filed by the Mamata government questioning this. Although the governor's appointees can continue as acting VCs for the time being, the court has blocked the provision of financial benefits.

The petition will be considered again on Oct 31.