First Time In History : State Govt Gives Effect To 10 Laws After Supreme Court Declares Governor's "Deemed Assent" On Bills

The Tamil Nadu Government has notified the operation of 10 Acts, which the Supreme Court declared as "deemed" to have been assented to by Governor RN Ravi in view of the Governor's prolonged delay in clearing them and his unconstitutional reference to the President.

The notification was issued by the Government today after the Supreme Court uploaded its judgment yesterday night. It is for the first time in Indian history that a State Government is operationalising laws based on a Court order instead of Governor's assent.

"History is made as these are the first Acts of any legislature in India to have taken effect without the signature of the Governor / President but on the strength of the judgement of the Supreme Court" Senior Advocate and DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson posted on X. Some of the laws replace Governor as the Chancellor of Universities.

A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan held that the Governor could not have reserved the 10 Bills for the President's assent, after they were re-enacted by the State Legislative Assembly, following the Governor's first act of withholding assent.  Therefore, the Bills were deemed to have been assented on November 18, 2023, the date on which they were re-presented by the Government.

the Hon'ble Supreme Court in its Order dated 08.04.2025 in W.P.(C) No.1239/2023 has ordered that all the action of the Hon'ble President after date of reserving the above said Bill is non-est in law and shall be deemed to have been assented to by the Hon'ble Governor on the date on which the said Bill was presented to him for assent - the notification.

The Acts notified are: 

1. The Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (Amendment) Act, 2020.

2. The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Amendment) Act, 2020

3. The Tamil Nadu Universities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2022.

4. The Tamil Nadu Dr.Ambedkar Law University (Amendment) Act, 2022

5. The Tamil Nadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai (Amendment) Act, 2022.

6. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (Amendment) Act, 2022.

7. The Tamil University (Second Amendment) Act, 2022.

8. The Tamil Nadu Fisheries University (Amendment) Act, 2023. 

9. The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Amendment) Act, 2023.

Read The Notification Here And Here.