L-G refuses to abide by top court verdict, forced to approach again: AAP

AAP's MP Sanjay accused LG Saxena of refusing to abide by Supreme Court's verdict on the services matter and said his action had prompted them to approach the apex court again

The AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Friday accused LG V K Saxena of refusing to abide by the Supreme Court's verdict on the services matter and said his action had prompted them to approach the apex court again.

A day after the Supreme Court held it has legislative and executive powers over all but three services, the Delhi government moved the apex court on Friday alleging the Centre was not implementing the decision to transfer its services secretary, a potential flashpoint in the running feud between the two.

The city's AAP government said the Centre may be held liable for contempt of court.

 

"The L-G has already said that he does not believe in the Supreme Court. Today, he refused to accept the order of the chief justice of India as well," Singh alleged.

"This way a constitutional crisis will arise. The SC judgment is very clear. Except for land, law and order, and police, the L-G is bound to follow the decision of the Delhi Government on all other subjects," he said.

The AAP MP alleged that Delhi's L-G was "dictatorial, arrogant and bossy".

"Does he have the right to stay on the post? He should be removed... Despite the SC's verdict, he is showcasing dictatorial behaviour. That is why we have approached the Supreme Court again. Now there is no way left for the Modi government and LG to run away from this. This is the height of shamelessness," Singh added.

In a major victory for the AAP dispensation in its protracted battle with the Centre, the apex court on Thursday ruled that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over the administration of all services, except for public order, police and land.

Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for the Delhi government on Friday, mentioned the matter before a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha, saying the top court delivered the judgment just yesterday and now there can be contempt.

Under Article 141 of the Constitution, there can be contempt of this court's order and a bench needs to hear this urgently, Singhvi said.

Chief Justice Chandrachud said he will constitute a bench to hear the matter next week.

Ashish More, secretary of the Delhi government's Services Department, was removed from his post on Thursday, hours after the Supreme Court gave the AAP dispensation control over the transfer and posting of officers in the city.

Former Delhi Jal Board CEO A K Singh, a 1995-batch (AGMUT cadre) IAS officer, will replace More.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by the CJI gave a unanimous verdict, putting an end to the eight-year dispute between the Centre and the Delhi government.

Against the backdrop of frequent run-ins between the AAP government and the Centre's point person, the lieutenant governor, the apex court asserted that an elected government needs to have control over bureaucrats, failing which the principle of collective responsibility will be adversely affected.