In a significant rebuke to creeping gubernatorial arrogance, the Supreme Court has finally placed a constitutional mirror before the conduct of some of India’s Governors. The spotlight, though national in implication, has firmly been on Tamil Nadu ~ a state where the Governor’s office has, in recent years, increasingly appeared more as an extension of political gamesmanship than as a neutral constitutional post. The top court’s observations ~ particularly on Governor R.N. Ravi’s habit of withholding or indefinitely delaying as – sent to bills ~ could not have come at a more crucial time. The judiciary reminded the nation that Governors are not political gatekeepers but constitutional custodians, bound by the advice of elected governments. It is an assertion of federalism that was overdue and one that makes Mr Ravi’s position untenable.

In Tamil Nadu, the tension between Raj Bhavan and Fort St. George has escalated to almost comical levels. Bills passed by a democratically elected........

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