Post his meeting with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Friday; Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the former refused to abide by the Supreme Court’s order regarding the control of Services.
“We were expecting that post the Supreme Court’s verdict we will be able to work fast. L-G has agreed to all the orders made by the top court. However, L-G has refused to agree on the matter of Services,” Kejriwal said.
“L-G said he had referred this to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and received an order from them saying that he will have the power of Services. They (MHA) gave the reason that the apex court had not dismissed its 2015 notification. We informed L-G that this order automatically gets dismissed after the Supreme Court’s judgement. But, L-G said he will listen to MHA,” he added.
The meeting came two days after the Supreme Court ruled that L-G is bound by the “aid and advice” of the council of ministers of the Delhi government in all matters under its jurisdiction.
“It is for the first time in India’s history that the Centre has openly refused to obey the Supreme Court order. If the government doesn’t follow SC orders, then there will be anarchy in the country,” Kejriwal said.
However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief said L-G Baijal agreed that files concerning the state government need not be sent to him, and will only have to be informed of the decisions taken by the state government.
Earlier, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, who headed the five-judge bench comprising A.K. Sikri, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan, had said that the L-G cannot act independently unless permitted by the Constitution.
He further stated that the L-G must work harmoniously with the state and the council of ministers has to be constantly aligned.
“L-G cannot be an obstructionist; he must take advice from the Council of Ministers. The Council has to inform the L-G of its decisions. The L-G must work harmoniously with the state; the L-G and council of ministers have to be constantly aligned. There is no space for anarchy,” the CJI said.
The power tussle between the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor has been on since the formation of the AAP government in the state.
