This came after the Supreme Court slammed the Punjab Governor for not giving assent to the bills.
Punjab News Today: In a major development, the Punjab Governor has reserved three bills for the consideration of the Hon'ble President of India, Droupadi Murmu, as per article 200 of the Constitution of India.
According to information, the three bills reserved by the Punjab Governor for the consideration of the President include:
- The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023
- The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
- The Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
Notably, this came after the Supreme Court's recent statement warning the Punjab Governor on not giving assent to the bills passed by the Vidhan Sabha. Besides, the top court stated that the session was not illegal, the reason the Governor has been giving for not giving assent to the bills.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, had asked both the Governor to not delay the bills that have been cleared by the elected assembly. It stated, "Please don't deflect the course of bills passed by a duly elected assembly. It's a matter of very serious concern."
It further said, "You're playing with fire. How can the governor say this? We are not happy with what is happening in Punjab. Will we continue to be a parliamentary democracy?"
It is pertinent to mention that the above-mentioned three bills include the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which garnered so many headlines because it provides all other channels with the right to broadcast Gurbani, ending the tradition of only one channel running it. Of course, these also include terms and conditions.
Apart from this, The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was also in the limelight as it vests the powers of chancellors of 12 state-run universities with CM as ex-officio head, cutting down the power of the Governor.
