Doesn’t alter balance of power in J&K: Centre
Animesh Singh
New Delhi, July 14
Amid a political furore over expanded powers for the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant Governor on issues related to the police, public order, All-India Service officers and the Anti-Corrpution Bureau, the Centre has clarified that the notification on the matter did not in any way alter the balance of power in the UT and was solely meant for clarity of roles on the powers vested in the Legislative Assembly and those vested in the L-G.
Parties had raised concern over move
- The clarification has come after political parties in J&K voiced strong opposition to the expanded powers for the L-G
- NC, PDP said the decision would “disempower” people of J&K, other parties termed the “Delhi-type statehood murder of democracy”
The Ministry of Home Affairs had on Saturday, through amendments to the Transaction of Business Rules under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, vested the L-G with more powers in decision making on matters related to the police, All-India Service officers and the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
The move had led Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to say that greater powers to the L-G meant that full statehood for J&K was still far in the future.
Official sources, however, allayed these apprehensions saying that the new notification “does not in any sense alter the balance of power as enshrined in the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019; the said act has been passed by the Parliament of India in August 2019 and the same has been upheld by the Supreme Court of India”.
The sources said as per Section 32 of the Act, the Legislative Assembly may make laws with respect to any of the matters enumerated in the State List except the “police” and “public order” or the Concurrent List in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and under Section 53 of the Act, the Lieutenant Governor shall exercise his functions in his discretion in a matter which falls outside the purview of powers conferred on the Legislative Assembly, related to the All-India Services and the Anti-Corruption Bureau and any other matter which he is required by or under any law to act in its discretion.
