The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday submitted a petition in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking the Constitution of a larger bench to decide whether the Centre or Delhi government had control over services, PTI reported. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that it will look into the matter.
On February 14, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court had delivered a split verdict on the Delhi government’s power to appoint and transfer civil servants. The court had delivered the ruling after hearing a batch of petitions last year that challenged notifications issued by the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi amid a power tussle with the Centre.
Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, who were on the two-judge bench, had referred the matter of jurisdiction over “services” to a larger bench. On other matters under consideration, the judges delivered concurring verdicts.
The petitioners had asked the Supreme Court to decide who has control over services in the Delhi administration, the power to set up commissions of inquiry, control over the anti-corruption bureau, and the postings and transfers of bureaucrats.
The court had restricted the jurisdiction of the lieutenant governor to matters of land, police and public order. On other matters, the lieutenant governor was asked to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers of the elected government of the National Capital.
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