From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The AAP government of Delhi on Friday approached the Supreme Court on the Centre defying its Thursday verdict on control over the bureaucrats.
This comes a day after the apex court ruled that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over administration of services except for public order, police and land.
The petition was filed on the Centre refusing to implement the transfer of its service secretary. Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said he would constitute a bench to hear the matter next week.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the matter on behalf of the Delhi Government before a bench of the chief justice and Justice P S Narasimha, saying the top court delivered the judgment just a day earlier and now there can be contempt.
Under Article 141 of the Constitution, there can be contempt of this court’s order and a bench needs to hear this urgently, Singhvi said.
“They are saying we will not transfer anybody. I can file contempt in view of judgement passed on Thursday. But it will take time. So kindly list the matter,” he said.
Ashish More, secretary of the Delhi government’s Services Department, was removed from his post on Thursday, hours after the Supreme Court gave the AAP dispensation control over the transfer and posting of officers in the city.
Former Delhi Jal Board CEO A K Singh, a 1995-batch (AGMUT cadre) IAS officer, will replace More.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by the CJI gave a unanimous verdict, putting an end to the eight-year dispute between the Centre and the Delhi government.
Against the backdrop of frequent run-ins between the AAP government and the Centre’s point person, the lieutenant governor, the apex court asserted that an elected government needs to have control over bureaucrats, failing which the principle of collective responsibility will be adversely affected.
