NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on the West Bengal government’s writ petition filed against withholding of assent by the Governor on eight key bills passed by the state legislature. A bench presided over by CJI DY Chandrachud sought a response from the Governor’s secretariat and Union government (through the Ministry of Home Affairs) in the matter. The plea, filed through advocate Astha Sharma, said that the conduct of the Governor not only threatens to defeat and subvert the very fundamentals and basic foundation of the Constitution, including the rule of law and democratic good governance, but further proceeds to infringe upon the rights of the people of the state to the welfare measures sought to be implemented through the bills. “Several crucial Bills have been lying dormant with the Governor of the State since 2022 when His Excellency Jagdeep Dhankhar (held the post), and no steps have been taken by his successor and the incumbent His Excellency Dr C.V. Ananda Bose,” it said. The eight bills which are awaiting assent from the Governor are the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences (Amendment) Bill, 2022, the...