‘Big blow to...’: AAP's first reaction as Supreme Court upholds Delhi L-G's power to appoint aldermen to MCD
The Delhi BJP welcomed the verdict, and slammed AAP for “questioning everything done by the lieutenant governor's”.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Monday expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court's ruling upholding the Delhi lieutenant governor's power to appoint aldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) without consulting the state cabinet, calling it “unfortunate” and a “big blow to democracy".
“I think this is not good for democracy and the Constitution of India. I want to say with due respect that we completely disagree with this decision. This decision is against the spirit of democracy and completely opposite to the comments of the court during the hearing...After reading the full order, we will make a strategy as to what to do next,” Sanjay Singh told news agency ANI.
Reacting to AAP leader's comments, the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party hit out at the Arvind Kejriwal-led party saying they have “developed a habit of questioning” anything done by the L-G.
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“The power to appoint aldermen to the MCD has been exercised by the L-G for decades…However, the AAP has developed the habit of questioning anything done by the L-G. We strongly condemn AAP MP Sanjay Singh's reaction to the Supreme Court's verdict, which reflects an anarchist mindset of his party,” Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva told the media.
In a massive setback to the AAP-led -led Delhi government, the top court affirmed the LG's unilateral appointment of ten aldermen to the MCD, saying that it is a “statutory duty” of the governor, who is not bound by the state cabinet’s aid and advice in this matter.
“Delhi LG is expected to act as per the mandate of the statute and not the aid and advice of the council of ministers,” a bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices Narasimha, JB Pardiwala, said.
The bench also clarified that Section 3(3)(b)(i) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, amended in 1993, empowers the LG to appoint aldermen. This authority, vested in the administrator of Delhi, is neither a “relic of the past” nor an overreach of constitutional power, it said.
The top court's verdict came on a plea by the Delhi government challenging the LG's nominations of 10 aldermen to the MCD. In May last year, the Supreme Court reserved the judgment, warning that granting the LG power to nominate aldermen might “destabilise” the democratically elected MCD.