SC judgement on Delhi Power Tussle, not a victory: BJP

Reacting to the Supreme Court judgement in Delhi Government-LG power tussle case, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nalin Kohli said that there is no reason for the Delhi Government calling it a victory, as their demand for statehood to Delhi has been rejected by the top court.

"I don't understand how Delhi Government is claiming this to be a victory? Their main plank was that this is a state whereas Court has unequivocally said it's not a state. They said they had the exclusive executive control that was rejected too. This is a UT (Union Territory), Centre has a role to play," Nalin Kohli said.

The Supreme Court, in its judgement, said that the Lieutenant Governor must work harmoniously with the state but also added that Delhi cannot be granted statehood, citing an earlier judgement.

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 said, "LG cannot act independently unless where the Constitution allows. LG cannot be an obstructionist."

"L-G cannot act independently unless where the Constitution allows. 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.

Recently, Kejriwal, along with Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others, sat on a nine-day sit-in strike against Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal at the latter's office-cum-residence.