May 10, 2019 ;
The Supreme Court Friday issued a notice to Congress leader K Laksminarayanan on an appeal filed by the Centre against a Madras High Court order that curbed the powers of the Puducherry Lieutenant Governor. The Madras High Court has ordered that Bedi “cannot interfere” in the day-to-day affairs of the Union Territory.
Laksminarayanan had filed the plea in Madras HC alleging that Bedi was running a “parallel government” in Puducherry.
The Centre had challenged the Madras High Court order in the Supreme Court. The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
The Madras High Court had last week ruled that the Lt Governor is bound by the decisions taken by the Council of Ministers in matters which rests with the legislature of Puducherry. The court said that “anarchy attacks the soul of the Constitution and the public interest”, therefore the “Central government, as well as the Administrator, should be true to the concept of democratic principles”.
The Madras HC ruling was hailed by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who termed it as “victory” of democracy.
The duo has been at loggerheads over several issues since 2016, with the CM claiming that the L-G was ‘interfering in the functioning of the government and stalled development in the state as several proposals are pending with her office’. The tussle escalated after Narayanasamy launched a six-day agitation against Bedi’s “autocratic” behaviour. His Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal – who had similar allegations against LG in the capital – joined him in the protests.
Bedi’s decision to make helmet wearing mandatory in the UT triggered the latest episode. While Bedi wanted the helmet rule for two-wheeler riders to be implemented at one go, Narayanasamy wanted the implementation in phases after generating awareness among the residents.
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