What is Article 200 of Indian Constitution?

Article 200 of the Indian Constitution deals with the power given to the governor of a state to assent to the bill passed by the State’s legislative assembly for the consideration of the President of India. Governors of State have the power to grant assent, withhold assent, return the bill, or reserve the bill. The governor cannot return the money bill to the legislative house for reconsideration. If the bill is passed again by the houses with or without amendment then the governor has to pass the bill for the president’s consideration i.e. he cannot hold the assent. The president then reviews the bill.

Article 200 of Indian Constitution | Governor’s Powers Over State Bills

Article 200 of Indian Constitution deals with the power of governors to assent to Bills passed by both houses of the state legislature. Article 200 of the Indian Constitution deals with the power given to governors to grant assent, withhold assent, or reserve a bill for the president’s consideration. Some critics believe that this power should not be given to governors.

In this article we are going to discuss Article 200 of the Indian Constitution, the constitutional background of Article 200, Key Provisions, the Judgement of the Supreme Court in case of the issue raised against Article 200, and Amendments and Reforms.

Table of Content

  • What is Article 200 of Indian Constitution?
  • What are the Governor’s Powers Over State Bills
  • Historical Background of Article 200 of Indian Constitution
  • Key Provisions of Article 200 of Indian Constitution
  • Article 200 of Indian Constitution – Case Study
  • Criticisms on Article 200 of Indian Constitution
  • Amendments to Article 200 of Indian Constitution
  • Recent News about Article 200 – Why it is the news?

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What is Article 200 of Indian Constitution?

Article 200 of the Indian Constitution deals with the power given to the governor of a state to assent to the bill passed by the State’s legislative assembly for the consideration of the President of India. Governors of State have the power to grant assent, withhold assent, return the bill, or reserve the bill. The governor cannot return the money bill to the legislative house for reconsideration. If the bill is passed again by the houses with or without amendment then the governor has to pass the bill for the president’s consideration i.e. he cannot hold the assent. The president then reviews the bill....

What are the Governor’s Powers Over State Bills

Article 200 grants the Governor the authority to give assent to bills passed by the state legislature. Once a bill is passed by the state assembly or legislative council, it is presented to the Governor for approval. The Governor can then either give their assent to the bill, making it law or withhold their assent, effectively vetoing the bill....

Historical Background of Article 200 of Indian Constitution

Article 200 of the Indian Constitution lies in Chapter VI (The States) and falls under the heading “Executive.” Under Article 154 the governor can exercise his/her executive powers only on the advice of the Council of Ministers. Article 200 provides power to the governor to decide on bills passed by the legislative assembly. The governor can either accept the bill withhold assent or reserve the bill. The Governor has the power to either accept the bill or reject the bill(except the money bill). He may also choose to pass on the Bill to the President for reviewing or he may send the Bill back to the State Legislature for reconsideration....

Key Provisions of Article 200 of Indian Constitution

According to Article 200 of the Indian Constitution when the bill is passed by both houses of legislature then it sent to governor. governors have power to grant assent/withhold assent or reserve the bill for the president’s consideration over any bill except money bill. The governor has three options: to approve the bill, to decline it, or to hold it for future consideration by the president. The Governor has the option to return the Bill along with a request for the House or Houses to rethink it. It is against constitutional norms for the Governor to withhold his or her assent without first informing the Legislature that the Bill needs to be reexamined. The Governor’s message does not compel the elected Legislature to ratify the Bill. They have the ultimate say in its fate. In other words, the Governor is forced to provide his or her permission once the House repasses the returned Bill, whether or not it has been amended. The elected Legislature has the last say over whether to approve or reject a bill; the governor’s statement has no legal force....

Article 200 of Indian Constitution – Case Study

B.K. Pavitra vs Union of India...

Criticisms on Article 200 of Indian Constitution

Some critics believe that Governor’s recommendation may be politically biased. The power over assent of different types of bills may be misused by the Governors. Politicians and former bureaucrats identifying with a particular political ideology have been appointed as the Governors by the central government. Sometimes the Governors has been charged with the violation of the model code of conduct. A governor’s proposal for President’s Rule (Article 356) in a state has historically been motivated more by political expediency or whimsy than by objective material....

Amendments to Article 200 of Indian Constitution

The Sarkaria Commission...

Recent News about Article 200 – Why it is the news?

Article 200 stipulates that once a Bill has been passed by the State Legislature (both the Legislative Assembly and, if the state has one, the Legislative Council), it is then forwarded to the Governor for assent. The Governor has several options:...

Conclusion – Article 200 of Indian Constitution

Some states disagree with this power given to governors. They believe that the decision on bills might be politically biased. The responsibility of governor is to send the bill for consideration of president of India. The most important step in the legislative process is the governor’s assent, and the governor’s main responsibility is to take decisions keeping all the constraints of Constitution in mind....

FAQs on Article 200 of Indian Constitution

Which type of bill do governor can never hold?...