Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that the central government had “insulted the majesty of the Supreme Court” by issuing a special order that disregarded the court’s decision over who controls bureaucrats in the nation’s capital.
“This is a disgusting joke. They have overturned the Supreme Court judgment within a week. The centre is challenging the Supreme Court openly. This is direct contempt of the Supreme Court and an insult to its majesty,” Kejriwal said at a news briefing.
“The ordinance will be challenged in the Supreme Court. It will slow down the Delhi government’s work but will not stop it,” Kejriwal said, accusing the central government of waiting for the court to break for its summer vacation before introducing the “unconstitutional” order.
The Supreme Court ruled on May 11 that the Delhi government has legislative and executive authority over the appointment and transfer of bureaucrats, with the exception of public order, police, and land matters. Kejriwal’s attack came a day after the centre introduced the ordinance reversing the Supreme Court’s May 11 verdict.
Additionally, it asked that the judgement be reviewed by the Supreme Court, claiming that it “suffers from errors apparent on the face of the record and fails to consider the case submitted by the review petitioner.”
In a unanimous decision last Thursday, a five-judge constitution bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud ended the conflict between the central government and the Delhi government that had been going on since 2015.
The AAP government has criticised the centre’s move as a ruse in light of the Supreme Court’s decision on control of services. On Friday, the centre issued a special order, or ordinance, to establish a body responsible for the transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.
The ordinance, which was issued a week after the top court granted the elected government control over all services in Delhi, excluding police, public order, and land, seeks to establish a National Capital Civil Service Authority for the transfer of Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre and the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against them.
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