Your concurrence not needed, says Kejriwal in letter to Delhi L-G Anil Baijal

New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court order made it clear that the real power was with the elected government, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to the Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal saying, “The L-G’s concurrence would now not be required on any matter.”

In the letter to L-G Anil Baijal, Kejriwal said, “I wish to bring to your kind notice two specific issues adjudged by Hon’ble Supreme Court –L-G’s ‘concurrence’ would now not be required on any matter and executive powers related to ‘Services’ lies with Council of Ministers.”

According to NDTV reports, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the Lieutenant Governor on Thursday after his government orders were snubbed by bureaucrats.

Hours after the Supreme Court's ruling, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took power to transfer officers but the services department rejected it.

The State Department said that the Lt Governor still remains in charge of their department for rejecting the orders.

Sisodia said that AAP is exploring legal options as the rejection of the orders by the bureaucrats is "legally incorrect'.

However, the note from the Services department said the Supreme Court has not yet cancelled a Union Home Ministry notification in May 2015 - months after AAP swept the elections and took power - assigning the job of transferring and posting bureaucrats to the Lieutenant governor.

Manish Sisodia firmly said, "The chief secretary has written to me saying the services department will not follow the orders. If they are not going to abide by it and the transfer files will still be seen by the L-G then it will amount to contempt of the constitution bench. We are consulting our lawyers."

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the Lt Governor has no "independent decision-making power" beyond land, police and public order, and has to act on the aid and advice of the elected government, which has the real power.