The Supreme Court Thursday said it will soon pronounce its judgment on the tussle between the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi government on issues such as the power to regulate services in the capital.
Representing the Delhi government, senior advocate Indira Jaising brought up the matter before a bench headed by Justice A K Sikri Thursday morning. She said several administrative issues had cropped up in the governance of Delhi, and requested that judgment be delivered at the earliest.
Justice Sikri replied that the matter lay with his brother judge, and that judgment would be pronounced soon.
A bench of Justice Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan had concluded hearing on petitions challenging the notifications related to control over services, setting up of a Commission of Inquiry and the power of the anti-corruption bureau, and reserved the verdict for November 1, 2019.
In July 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench of the court had laid down broad parameters for governing the national capital, which has witnessed a turf battle between the Centre and the Arvind Kejriwal government.
The court ruled that Delhi cannot be accorded the status of a state. It also said the L-G had no “independent decision-making power” and must act on the aid and advice of the elected government.
The court, however, did not get into individual challenges regarding powers in specific areas, and left that to future adjudication. While the Centre has taken the stance that the L-G has the power to regulate services in Delhi, the AAP government has opposed the notion.
