Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung has called for files on decisions taken by Arvind Kejriwal's government
Highlights
- Lt Governor may scrutinise major decisions by AAP government in one year
- Najeeb Jung has called for all files related to decisions taken by AAP
- Last week, High Court said Delhi is mainly in the charge of Lt Governor
Days after a court rejected his argument that his claim to Delhi is superior to that of the centre, Arvind Kejriwal is set to feel the first jab. Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung is likely to scrutinize all major decisions taken by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the last one year.
Sources say Mr Jung has called for all files related to decisions taken by AAP since it took charge in February last year, after winning the Delhi election.
He has reportedly also asked for files on the transfer and appointment of bureaucrats to be sent directly to him, and not Delhi ministers.
Mr Jung's latest move emphatically drives home the point made by the High Court last Thursday, that Delhi, as a union territory, is mainly in the charge of the Lieutenant Governor, who is the centre's representative in the capital.
The court also ruled that the Lieutenant Governor is not obliged to act on the advice of the Delhi cabinet in taking important decisions as he is the administrative head of the capital. It struck down important inquiries that the Delhi government had announced over the past year, which had placed AAP on collision course with the BJP at the centre.
Hours after the verdict, Mr Jung told reporters that it proved "we are not rulers of this country...and should confine ourselves to our roles and jobs."
The Delhi government says it will challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court.
Mr Kejriwal, 47, is on a vipassana or meditation course in the hill station near Dharamsala.