Unbecoming of the President

President Droupadi Murmu has sought clarification on 14 points as regards the powers of the Supreme Court. This evidently was done after her meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and intended to show her displeasure over the apex court’s decision to treat the long pending TN bills with the President, as passed.

This move will further belittle the dignity of the post of President. Her adhering to the dictum of the ruling party to create hurdles for non-BJP states, was principally an evil act. Though Article 201 does not define any timeline for the President to clear bills sent by legislatures, what if bills are held up with malicious intent and for ‘unreasonably’ longer period thus hampering administration. In such circumstances, the Judiciary assumes democracy’s the last resort as a measure of restoring order.

P R Ravinder, New Mirjalguda, Hyderabad.

Presidential Reference is unwise and illogical

The Presidential Reference to the Supreme Court on the timeline prescribed for Governors and the President to act on State Bills has betrayed the Modi government’s scant regard for a state’s rights and the will of its people. The Modi government remains unconvinced of the wisdom of the Supreme Court. It must be appreciated that the apex court fixed a time limit for action on Bills for a good reason and made it obligatory for the Governors and the President to show respect for democracy. The apex court would not have been approached, and it would not have felt the need to set a certain time limit had the Governors in opposition-ruled States taken decision on Bills within a reasonable period of time without considering the hue of the party in power.

The legislative powers of a state legislature are constitutionally guaranteed for a Governor, an appointee of the central government, to sit on Bills received for assent indefinitely. We are a vast and diverse country. We are not a single unitary state to have a highly centralised system of government in place. It is apparent that the Presidential Reference has been made as a last-ditch attempt to continue treating the states subservient to the ruling dispensation at the Centre. We hope and expect that the Supreme Court will stand its ground and enlighten the President about the rightness and correctness of its April 8 landmark judgment.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode (TN)

Need to uphold the federal spirit

The presidential reference seeking the Supreme Court’s opinion on its own controversial ruling that put timeframe for gubernatorial decision in law making will become a contentious issue. Though the Supreme Court is not obligated to answer all the 14 questions that have been raised, it may provoke more deliberations regarding boundaries between executive and judicial powers.

Instead of focusing on borders between three pillars of democracy, it’s better to deliberate in detail on relations between and the powers of the state and the Centre. The federal spirit should not get weakened and the primacy of an elected government should not be undermined at any cost. If the issue is discussed objectively in our society without it getting politicised, it will be befitting tribute to democracy and lead to good governance.

Dr DVG Sankara Rao,Former MP, Vizianagaram

Eradicate manual scavenging

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has written to all states and Union Territories asking them to ensure ‘immediate implementation’ of directives issued by the Supreme Court in a 2023 verdict that is aimed at eradicating manual scavenging and hazardous sewer cleaning. The rights panel has recommended a slew of measures, including establishment of robust monitoring systems to ensure real-time compliance and deterrence.

The practice constitutes a “grave violation of human rights”, especially the right to life with dignity and equality before the law. The complete ban announced by the Supreme Court in Januaryin six major cities -- Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad -- manual cleaning of hazardous waste “continues in certain parts of the country”.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai