Overview

• Kerala told the Court its 2023 petitions challenging Governor Arif Mohammed Khan’s prolonged withholding of assembly bills had become infructuous in view of the April 8 Tamil Nadu Governor ruling
• A two-judge bench led by Justice P S Narasimha affirmed that a state may withdraw its own Supreme Court petitions
• Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to the withdrawal and urged the bench to await a larger panel’s decision on the President’s reference under Article 143
• The bench, also comprising Justice A S Chandurkar, adjourned further hearings on Kerala’s pleas to July 25, 2025
• The April ruling imposed a three-month deadline for governors and the President to act on state bills and introduced a deemed assent mechanism under Articles 200 and 201