In Arvind Kejriwal vs centre, High Court ruled that Delhi is in the charge of Lieutenant Governor.
Highlights
- Delhi High Court rules against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
- He had accused the Centre of encroaching upon his powers
- High Court also cancels two corruption inquiries ordered by him
Arvind Kejriwal's claims to what powers he is entitled to as Chief Minister of Delhi have been shot down today in court.
Delhi, as a union territory, is mainly in the charge of the Lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung, who functions as the centre's representative in the capital, said the Delhi High Court today.
Today's verdict drives home that "we are not rulers of this country...and should confine ourselves to our roles and jobs," said Mr Jung, who has repeatedly cancelled decisions and appointments made by Mr Kejriwal without consulting him.
Mr Kejriwal, 47, is on a
vipassana or meditation course in the hill station of Dharamsala. "I hope the Delhi government now gives up its confrontational attitude towards the centre," said senior union minister Venkaiah Naidu. Rendering that faulty logic, the Delhi government says it will challenge today's verdict in the Supreme Court.
Before embarking on his time out, Mr Kejriwal, who heads the Aam Aadmi Party or AAP, released a video on YouTube in which he claimed that
Prime Minister Narendra Modi "could have me eliminated," substantively placing at rock bottom his relations with the PM, whom he proclaimed in Decembe as "a coward and psychopath"
Mr Kejriwal won Delhi with a stunning record in the last state election, but his government has functioned in a continuum of hostility with the centre, which is mandated to run large parts of Delhi including its police force.
The Chief Minister says that the PM, rejected by the people of Delhi who did not vote for him, seeks back-door control of the capital largely through the office of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, who makes decisions that are beyond his purview.
A major confrontation point erupted last year after the centre said Mr Kejriwal could not launch corruption inquiries against officers of the central government. The Delhi High Court has agreed with the union government's assessment.
The Lieutenant Governor has also repeatedly nullified announcements and appointments made by Mr Kejriwal for which the court today said the Lieutenant Governor is not obliged to act on the advice of the cabinet in taking important decisions. It also found that Mr Kejriwal
was not within his rights to order an investigation into alleged corruption in the main cricket administration body of Delhi, which for years was headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The judges also struck down a similar inquiry launched by Mr Kejriwal's government about a contract related to public buses.