"Government At A Standstill" After Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: High Court

The Delhi government has "come to a standstill" after the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the High Court said today while hearing a petition on the state of education in schools run by the city civic body. A Chief Minister's post in a buzzing capital like Delhi is not ceremonial and it is post where the office holder has to be available 24x7. His absence cannot deprive children of their free text books, writing material and uniforms, the court said.

Playing down the court's comments, AAP said Mr Kejriwal will remain the Chief Minister of Delhi. "Kejriwal was the chief minister, is the chief minister and will continue to be the chief minister of Delhi," said senior leader Sanjay Singh. The same High Court has dismissed three petitions demanding the removal of Mr Kejriwal as Chief Minister, he pointed out.

"National interest and public interest demands that no person who holds this post is incommunicado or absent for a long stretch or for an uncertain period time," said the bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.

The court held that the admission of Delhi's Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj -- that any increase in financial power of MCD commissioner shall require approval of Mr Kejriwal - amounts to an admission that "Delhi government has come to a standstill" after the Chief Minister's arrest.

The petition had maintained that nearly two lakh students lacked basic amenities at the beginning of the academic year due to administrative hurdles.

During the hearing on April 26, the High Court had made strong remarks on Mr Kejriwal, the Delhi government and the civic body for their failure to provide textbooks. Mr Kejriwal's insistence on holding the post even after his arrest in the Delhi liquor policy case puts political interest over national interest, the judges had said.

Following the rebuke, the office of the Lieutenant Governor had accused the Delhi government and Saurabh Bharadwaj of delaying the approval of a proposal to temporarily enhance the financial powers of the MCD Commissioner from Rs 5 crore to Rs 50 crore.

Officials argued that the delay has hampered some crucial projects linked to education, health, and sanitation, as the Standing Committee of the Corporation has not been constituted for over a year.