The Supreme Court on Friday expressed concerns over the urgency shown by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s office in pushing for elections to appoint the sixth member of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) Standing Committee. Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan, who are overseeing the case, questioned the need for such a “tearing hurry” to use executive powers in this context.
The bench has instructed the Lieutenant Governor’s office not to proceed with the election for the chairman of the Standing Committee until it resolves the ongoing plea by Mayor Shelly Oberoi, which contests the validity of the Standing Committee polls held on September 27. “We will view it seriously if you hold an election for the MCD Standing Committee chairman,” the justices warned during the proceedings.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Jain, representing the Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, was present during the hearing. The court’s intervention came after it was initially reluctant to entertain the petition but felt compelled to act following the LG’s decision to invoke his powers under Section 487 of the Delhi Municipal Act.
The bench expressed its apprehension about the potential misuse of executive powers in electoral processes within the MCD. “Democracy will be in danger if you start using executive powers under Section 487 of the DMC Act. How can you interdict the electoral process?” they posed to the LG’s office, signaling deep concerns about the implications for democratic governance.
