Delhi assembly rejects MHA edict; centre challenges High Court verdict

NEW DELHI: The Delhi assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution rejecting a May 21 notification of the Union home ministry, even as the Centre challenged the high court order that termed the notification as ‘suspect’. The contentious MHA notification had given powers to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung in appointment of senior officials in Delhi and barred the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau from acting against officials.
The Centre’s special leave petition, filed in the Supreme Court registry on Wednesday evening, is likely to argue that the high court had made the observations without hearing its views. Sources said the SLP could mention non-inclusion of the home ministry in the case and question mention of the May 21 notification after arguments and deposition in the case had closed on May 20.

In the Delhi assembly, the heated debate over two days about the MHA order ended with adoption of a private member’s (Malaviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti) resolution after four amendments.

“This House finds this act of Ministry of Home Affairs as an attempt on the part of the central government to encroach upon the legislative powers of this august House confer red by the Constitution, in a completely unconstitutional and illegal manner, by bypassing Parliament and thereby even grabbing the powers of Parliament itself,” the resolution said. It will be sent to the L-G and Union home ministry.

Day two of the special session saw Rithala MLA Mahendra Goel tearing to pieces a copy of the home ministry notification. Other AAP MLAs criticised the Centre’s notification, while the three BJP MLAs lashed out at the Delhi government and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Participating in the debate, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the Centre was interested in total control. “Now they want ACB, soon they’ll ask for power, water, schools.” Bharti’s resolution detailed the reasons why AAP has been agitating against the Centre’s notification.