AAP government moved Delhi High Court seeking direction over removal of DERC chief
The AAP government today moved Delhi High Court seeking direction to Lieutenant Governor (LG) to reconsider his decision scrapping appointment of Krishna Saini as the Chairperson of Delhi's power regulator DERC.
The application was moved before a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath who were hearing two pleas challenging the appointment process of the Delhi government.
Citing Transaction of Business Rules (TBR), the Delhi government said the LG should be directed to "reconsider his decision on the request of Council of Ministers of GNCTD".
The court has listed the application on November 25.
LG Najeeb Jung had on September 21 set aside Mr Saini's appointment in March to the top post of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), as it was done without taking his approval as mandated under the rules and procedure.
The Delhi government has said that "the order of the LG has only found fault with the process that was followed leading upto/culminating in the selection of the DERC Chief and has not otherwise found him unfit for the post".
The application said the high court, in its August 4 judgement interpreting the inter-relationship between the LG and the Council of Ministers, had said that if the LG does not agree with a decision taken by Council of Ministers, he was required to refer the matter to the President of India.
It further said the "Cabinet of the Delhi government is proposing to request the LG to consider the matter once again and grant ex-post facto approval, which would be in the interest of the seamless and unhindered supply of electricity to the citizens of the national capital of Delhi and hence undeniably in public interest".