Centre on Tuesday cleared a bill to replace the much-debated Delhi ordinance that gave the BJP-led Union government greater control over the transfers and postings in “services” than the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi – the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government, according to media reports.
The decision came after the Union Cabinet gave its nod in a meeting held earlier this evening to discuss the Delhi ordinance issue and decide its discussion in the Parliament. Reports said the bill is expected to be introduced in the ongoing Parliament session.
A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court is set to hear the Kejriwal government’s petition challenging the Delhi ordinance. The top court had also issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on the plea while refusing to grant an interim stay on the ordinance on control over services in Delhi. It asserted an elected government needs to have control over bureaucrats, failing which the principle of collective responsibility will be adversely affected.
The ordinance has become the latest flashpoint between L-G Saxena and the AAP government.
The Kejriwal government has repeatedly condemned the Centre’s move as an "unconstitutional exercise” with a motive to "override" the Supreme Court and the basic structure of the Constitution.
The ordinance was promulgated on May 19, establishing a National Capital Civil Service Authority responsible for the transfer and disciplinary proceedings of Group-A officers in Delhi, following a Supreme Court verdict on May 11, which granted control of services in the capital, excluding police, public order, and land, to the city's elected government.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has also been reaching out to leaders of non-BJP parties to seek their support against the ordinance. It was one of the conditions for the AAP to attend the crucial Bengaluru meeting of Opposition unity after it demanded that Congress supports it against the ordinance.
