File Photo: Lt Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal
The AAP government today told Delhi High Court that Lieutenant Governor (LG) was not the elected government of Delhi and was required to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers.
The submission was made before a bench of Justice VP Vaish during arguments on Delhi government's plea challenging the Centre's May 21 notification giving LG absolute powers to appoint bureaucrats to various posts in the national capital and barring the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) from proceeding against any staff under the Centre's control.
Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the city government, said under the constitutional provisions and transaction of business rules, LG is required to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers.
"LG is not the elected government in Delhi and this fact is fundamental to the matter. The powers are vested with the elected government with respect to subjects in the state list, barring few exceptions. All we have to do is to only inform the LG about the proposals and he has to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers," the counsel said.
He said that matters where LG could act on his discretion are those which are not in the purview of the legislature- police, land and public order.
At the same time, the transaction of business rules says that state government means government of NCT of Delhi, Mr Krishnan added.
The senior counsel said the LG could create new posts and increase the work force in the subjects under his discretion but cannot decide who to be posted and where to be posted.
"LG is confined to the four corners of the Constitution, four corners of presidential rules and four corners of the statute," he said.
Once a bureaucrat is allocated a cadre and comes to the government, the concerned department decides his duties and work and not the LG, he said.
Mr Krishnan further said that the ACB comes directly under Vigilance Department of the government as per the presidential rules and the vigilance secretary heads the department.
Without naming ACB chief MK Meena, Mr Krishnan said the concerned officer was not reporting to the vigilance department or the department secretary.