Kejriwal declares victory, but Supreme Court order has a message for him too

Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor is bound to listen to the city’s democratically elected government, ruled the top court.

The Supreme Court order on Wednesday stating “Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor is bound to listen to the city’s democratically elected government,” also had a message for the Aam Aadmi Party.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal addresses a press conference in New Delhi on June 18, 2018. (PTI)

The top court, in a verdict that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal hailed as a “victory for democracy”, said that authorities in power should constantly remind themselves that they are constitutional functionaries and they have the responsibility to ensure that the fundamental purpose of administration is the welfare of the people in an ethical manner.

“There is no room for absolutism. There is no space for anarchy. Sometimes it is argued, though in a different context, that one can be a ‘rational anarchist’, but the said term has no entry in the field of constitutional governance and rule of law,” said the court, apparently hinting at Kejriwal.

In 2014, Kejriwal had famously called himself an anarchist while protesting against the Delhi Police. “Some say I am an anarchist, yes I am. There is lawlessness in every home in the city, and today I’ll spread disorder in the home minister’s house,” said Kejriwal.

In what is seen as a direct message to both L-G Anil Baijal and Kejriwal, the court ruled, “there is a requirement of discussion and deliberation. The fine nuances are to be dwelled upon with mutual respect. Neither of the authorities should feel that they have been lionized. They should feel that they are serving the constitutional norms, values and concepts.”

Baijal and his predecessor Najeeb Jung and the Delhi government have been locked in a bitter power tussle ever since the AAP swept to power in Delhi in 2015.

The conflicts stems out of the status of Delhi, which is a Union Territory and not a full state. As a result, the Delhi government does not have control over land,appointment of senior officers and the police force. These three are controlled by the L-G.