New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay as of now the Delhi High Court ruling that Delhi was a Union Territory (UT) and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) its administrative head.
The apex court issued notice to Centre on Aam Aadmi Party government’s six appeals against Delhi HC order giving primacy to Lt Governor in administration of NCT.
The SC refused to stay for now the operation of HC verdict, also LG's direction to set up panel to examine AAP government's past decisions.
The top court granted six weeks to Centre to file replies and fixed them for final hearing on November 15.
The Arvind Kejrwial-led AAP government had filed the appeal questioning all findings arrived at by the high court including that the LG is the head as Delhi is a UT.
The verdict had come on a batch of petitions, including those filed by the BJP-led Centre and Delhi government, 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 in criminal offences.
The Delhi government had argued before the high court that in a democratic set up, there cannot be two reporting authorities — the LG and the Chief Minister.
