# Maharashtra CM Fadnavis gets power to override ministers 2026-08-18T02:11:28+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Maharashtra government has notified the 'Maharashtra Government Rules of Business, 2026', granting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis the authority to override any minister's decision in the public interest, except in quasi-judicial matters. The notification was issued by state chief secretary Rajesh Aggarwal through the general administration department on August 14. The rules state that the CM may override a decision by recording reasons in writing. The Times of India reports the move comes after a 2023 Bombay High Court order that quashed then CM Eknath Shinde's intervention in a cooperative bank recruitment case, ruling that the CM had no independent power to review or modify a minister's decision. The Federal notes the new rule could alter equations within the Mahayuti coalition government of BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP. The notification also mandates that departments must obtain finance department concurrence for any revenue loss or expenditure, and that any matter likely to bring the state into controversy with the central government must be reported to the CM and governor. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Times of India frames the notification as a routine procedural update, leading with the CM's new authority and quoting the Bombay High Court context neutrally. The Federal emphasizes the political implications for the Mahayuti coalition and highlights the 2023 court ruling that had denied the CM such powers. The critical framing from The Federal suggests the rule centralizes power, while Times of India treats it as administrative clarification. A measured reading: the notification codifies a power the court had previously said did not exist, but exempts quasi-judicial matters, limiting its scope. Watch for any legal challenge from coalition partners. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Leads with CM's new power, presents court context factually without commentary - thefederal.com (government critical) Highlights political impact on coalition and past court rejection of CM power This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-19T17:36:57+00:00. Tags: Bombay High Court, Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra government Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/maharashtra-cm-can-now-override-any-ministers-order-in-public-interest/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/maharashtra-cm-can-now-override-any-ministers-order-in-public-interest/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/