Lieutenant-Governor issue: AAP moves SC against HC verdict

The Delhi government on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi high court’s August 4 order giving primacy to the lieutenant- governor in the city’s administration.

The Delhi government filed a Special Leave Petition against the Central government and others, tweeted Delhi government’s standing counsel Rahul Mehra.

After the high court verdict, lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung said his office would review all decisions and orders taken by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government since February 2015.

Mr Jung on Tuesday transferred several officials of the Delhi government, including the health secretary and PWD secretary who were involved in the work of mohalla clinics and construction of classrooms, both pet projects of the AAP government.

The high court ruled that decisions taken by Delhi’s council of ministers had to be communicated to the lieutenant-governor, and if he took a different view on the issue, a reference to the Central government was required.

The verdict had come on a batch of petitions on the issues relating to exercise of legislative powers and the executive control in the administration of National Capital Territory of Delhi. The high court had dismissed the AAP government’s plea to quash July 23, 2014 notification, issued by MHA, at a time when Delhi did not have an elected government and was under direct rule of the Centre, restricting the executive power of GNCTD, acting through ACB, to investigate officers and employees of the city government only.

The Delhi government on May 28 last year had moved the high court, a day after the Centre had approached the Supreme Court challenging a high court order which had termed as “suspect” the Union home ministry’s notification barring the city government’s ACB from acting against its officers.