Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Wednesday, 18 May, submitted his resignation, citing personal reasons, news agency PTI reported, quoting officials. He has sent his resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind.
Baijal was the 21st lieutenant governor of Delhi. He took office on 31 December 2016 after the sudden resignation of Najeeb Jung, and served in the position for a long tenure of 5 years and 4 months.
A 1969 batch IAS officer, Baijal had served as Union Home Secretary under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, besides holding key positions in other ministries. He is also a former vice chairperson of Delhi Development Authority.
The former bureaucrat was on the executive council of the think tank Vivekananda International Foundation, several of whose former members have been appointed to senior positions by the Modi government, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
Power Tussle Between LG & AAP Govt
As lieutenant governor, Baijal was at the centre of a long-drawn power tussle between his office and the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government. The issue was finally resolved by a Supreme Court order in July 2018, which said that the Lieutenant Governor cannot act independently unless where the Constitution allows.
The LG cannot be an obstructionist, the Supreme Court ruled, saying that the LG does not have independent decision-making powers, and is bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in all the areas except land, police and law and order.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said the real powers of governance in Delhi rested with its elected representatives and their opinion and decisions ought to be respected.
The ruling overturned an earlier Delhi High Court verdict which had declared the Lt Governor as the head of the Delhi administration, triggering an ugly war between the Centre and the Aam Aadmi Party.
The NCT Act
However, since then, controversy has arisen in the national capital over the amended Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, which was notified by the Centre on 27 April, 2021.
As per the amendment, now the government in Delhi means lieutenant governor. The act requires the lieutenant governor's opinion to be obtained on all such matters as may be specified by him before any executive action on decisions of the Delhi's Council of Ministers.
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021 was passed in the Lok Sabha on 22 March 2021 and on 24 March 2021 in the Rajya Sabha amid walkout by opposition parties.
The President, Ram Nath Kovind, had on 28 March given assent to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, which defines lieutenant governor as "government" in Delhi.
This came as a setback for the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, which opposed the act and moved the Supreme Court, contending that the new changes go against representative democracy.
The matter is still in the court, with the Supreme Court deciding to examine the constitutional validity of the amended act.
The dispute stems out of the status of Delhi. The city is a Union Territory and not a full state. As a result, some departments, such as land and law and order, are under the control of the central government represented by the lieutenant governor.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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