Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, 14 February, that the Supreme Court's order on the power tussle between the AAP government and the lieutenant governor was against the people of Delhi.
He said that the BJP exercises more power in the national capital than the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, despite winning only three seats in the Assembly.
In its verdict on Thursday, a two-judge bench comprising Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan agreed that the Anti-Corruption Bureau and setting up of an inquiry commission fall under the L-G’s control, while the Delhi government has jurisdiction over electricity boards, land revenue matters and appointment of public prosecutors.
The top court, however, was split over who controls ‘services’, and has referred the matter to a larger bench.
- On 1 November 2018, both judges had reserved their verdict on petitions challenging the notifications issued by the Centre and the Delhi government
- A five-judge bench, on 4 July last year, had laid down broad parameters for governance of Delhi
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'Power Doesn't Depend on Number of Seats': Sheila Dikshit Slams AAP
Former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, slammed CM Arvind Kejriwal’s remarks about the former government having more power, saying that the Constitution of India has defined the power that Delhi has, its not unlimited. She also said that power does not depend on how many seats you have, urging the CM to make changes if need be.
“Constitution has defined the power Delhi has, its not unlimited. The Centre, Lt Governor and the Home Ministry handle a lot of things. So fighting is no solution, make changes if needed. Power doesn’t depend on the number of seats you have.”Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Congress President
'BJP More Powerful Than AAP Despite Just 3 Seats': Kejriwal Slams SC Order
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addressed a press conference on the Supreme Court verdict over control of services and power of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Delhi. Kejriwal said that the BJP is exercising more power in the national capital than the ruling AAP, despite winning just 3 seats in the Assembly elections.
“If a government can’t even transfer its officers, how is it supposed to function? The party that has 67 seats doesn’t have the rights but the party who won 3 seats has those rights.”Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi
He also said the SC order was against the people of Delhi and democracy.
'AAP Should Accept Order Humbly': Delhi BJP Welcomes SC Verdict
The Delhi unit of the BJP on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court judgment and said it removes ambiguities in the powers of the Delhi government.
There should no scope for "confusion or conflict" and the AAP government should humbly accept the Supreme Court judgement, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said.
'Lack of Clarity in SC Judgment Unfortunate': AAP
Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party said it was unfortunate that there was no clarity in the Supreme Court's split verdict on who controls services in the National Capital Territory.
“People of Delhi will continue to suffer,” AAP Spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj told reporters after the Supreme Court referred the issue of clarity on division of powers between the Delhi government and the Centre to a larger bench.