When a Governor Sits on a Bill: Article 200 and the Deadline Fight

A Governor has four choices on a bill under Article 200: assent, withhold, return, or reserve it for the President.

Article 200 sets no time limit, which is how bills end up stuck for months or years on a Governor's desk.

In 2025 the Supreme Court said Governors must act within a reasonable time and laid down indicative deadlines.

The President then sent the question to a Constitution Bench under Article 143, so the rules are still being settled.

A returned bill re-passed by the assembly must get assent the second time — the Governor cannot send it back again.