Delhi a UT, powers subservient to Centre, says Jaitley after verdict

New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court gave its judgement on the powers of the Delhi government and the lieutenant-governor,  Union minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday that the “presumption” of the government that the verdict has given it administrative powers over Union Territory (UT) cadre officers was  “wholly erroneous”.

Mr Jaitley said that the apex court judgement does not either add to the powers of the state government or the Central government nor does it in any way dilute them.  “It emphasises at the importance of elected state government, but Delhi being a Union Territory makes its powers subservient to the Central government,” he said in a Facebook blog on the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Delhi government case.

Mr Jaitley also added  that the verdict has made it clear that the Delhi government has no police powers and, hence, it cannot set up an investigating agency to probe crimes committed in the past.

Hours after the landmark judgement on Wednesday, the Delhi government introduced a new system for transfer and postings of bureaucrats, making chief minister Arvind Kejriwal the approving authority.  However, the services department refused to comply.

There are several issues which had directly not been commented upon, but by implication there is some indication of those issues, Mr Jaitley said, adding that unless issues of importance are flagged, discussed and a specific opinion is rendered, “none can assume” that silence implies an opinion in favour of one or the other.

There are two obvious indications, Mr Jaitley said adding firstly that if Delhi has no police powers, it “cannot set up” investigative agency to investigate crimes as had been done in the past.   “Secondly, the Supreme Court has held categorically that Delhi cannot compare itself at par with other states and, therefore, any presumption that the administration of the UT cadre of services has been decided in favour of the Delhi Government would be wholly erroneous.”

Mr Jaitley, who is also an eminent lawyer, said : “It has been specifically held by the Supreme Court that it is crystal clear that by no stretch of imagination, NCT of Delhi can be accorded the status of a state under the present constitutional scheme and the status of the lieutenant governor is not that of a governor of a state, rather he remains an administrator, in a limited sense, working with the designation of lieutenant governor.”

Mr Arun Jaitley said that the council of ministers being headed by the chief minister should be guided by values and prudence accepting the constitutional position that the NCT of Delhi is not a state.

The court, Mr Jaitley added, has rightly observed that all the three institutions, the elected government, the LG and the central government must work in harmony keeping the interest of the people and the national capital in mind. Cooperation, operating in their respective constitutional space and not confrontation should be the objective, said the minister who is recuperating after a kidney transplant surgery.