The Supreme Court in New Delhi is questioning the power of the lieutenant governor to nominate 10 aldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi without the help of the elected government. The AAP government has challenged these nominations. The court asked about the source of power that allows the lieutenant governor to make these nominations. The Additional Solicitor General for the office of the lieutenant governor explained that the file for nominations came directly to the LG’s office, as he is the administrator. The court will hear the plea again on Wednesday after reviewing the LG’s response.
The Delhi government’s lawyer argued that the LG must act on the aid and advice of the government when nominating aldermen. He also explained that it’s the first time in 30 years that the LG has directly appointed members to the MCD.
In a previous hearing, the top court stated that the lieutenant governor has to act on the advice of the council of ministers of the Delhi government when nominating aldermen. A constitution bench also recently ruled that the Delhi government has power over all but three services in running day-to-day administration of the national capital.
