Delhi CM Kejriwal meets Lt Governor Jung

New Delhi, May 26

Even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and discussed functioning of the elite Anti-Corruption Bureau, the AAP government moved a resolution at a special session of the Delhi Assembly against the Centre’s notification giving absolute powers to the Lt Governor on transfer and postings of senior bureaucrats and restricting the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) from probing Central government employees.

In the meeting, which lasted for around 20 minutes, Kejriwal apprised Jung of the High Court ruling on the powers of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and his views on the issue, sources said. This is the first meeting between two since the confrontation began.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Chief Secretary K. K. Sharma accompanied Kejriwal.

Later, the AAP government moved a resolution at a special session of the Delhi Assembly against the Centre’s notification giving absolute powers to the Lt Governor on transfer and postings of senior bureaucrats and restricting the ACB from probing Central government employees.

Moving the resolution, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said issuance of the notification was an “insult” to the “biggest mandate” the people of Delhi had given in the Assembly polls.

Alleging that the notification was in violation of the Constitution, he said the government has presented the resolution before the House as attempts are being made to “curb rights” of a democratically-elected government.

“Tomorrow the Central government can say that you don’t have control over the sources of water, so you can’t supply water to the city,” Sisodia said, adding that “the issuance of the notification is an insult to the biggest mandate of Delhi’s people.”

In the notification, the Centre gave absolute powers to the LG in appointment of bureaucrats while also clarifying that he need not “consult” the Chief Minister on subjects like police and public order.

The ACB of the Delhi government has also been barred from registering any case against officers and political functionaries of the Central government.

However, the Delhi High Court yesterday ruled that the ACB has authority to probe Central government officials, including Delhi Police personnel.

“Delhi was plagued by corruption. People have given us a massive mandate to run the government. This government has taken corruption head on and achieved unprecedented success.

The Centre is trying to thwart Delhi government’s attempts.

The ACB has done unprecedented work in the last 100 days despite several odds,” Sisodia said.

Meanwhile, a BJP MLA was today marshalled out of the Delhi Assembly after he made critical remarks against the Speaker during a debate on the Centre’s notification.

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel ordered the marshalls to remove O.P. Sharma from the House when the BJP legislator criticised him.

The comments made by Sharma were expunged from the records.

Earlier, Sharma attacked AAP MLA Alka Lamba for accusing Centre and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung of trying to take away powers of the Delhi government.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry has started consultations with legal luminaries after the Delhi High Court termed its notification, giving the Lt Governor absolute powers in some matters, as “suspect”.

The Home Ministry is also keeping a close eye on the special session of the Delhi Assembly where Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today moved a resolution terming the issuance of the notification as an “insult” to the “biggest mandate” the people of the city had given in the assembly polls.

The Ministry officials have consulted with several leading lawyers on various aspects of the notification and the opinion given to the Delhi government by legal minds like K K Venugopal and Gopal Subramanium.

“All options are open. Since yesterday’s order came from a single bench of the Delhi High Court, options are open either to approach a division bench or move to the Supreme Court. But no decision has been taken yet. We are still studying,” a Home Ministry official said.

Officials said the central government has no problem with transfers made by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as he is empowered to effect reshuffle officers below the Secretary level.

The Delhi High Court had yesterday termed as “suspect” the Centre’s recent notification barring Delhi government’s anti-corruption branch (ACB) from acting against its officers in criminal offences and held that the Lt Governor cannot act on his discretion.

It observed that the mandate of the people “must” be respected by the Lt Governor of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) if there was no other “constitutional or legal fetter”. — PTI