The Supreme Court of India recently resolved a protracted power dispute between the Delhi government and the federal government by granting the Delhi government control over administrative services in the nation’s capital.
The Delhi government now has the authority to decide on important issues like the hiring and firing of officials in the city’s bureaucracy because the Court has upheld that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is required to follow the “aid and advice” of the Delhi government in matters relating to the administration of the city.
This decision is considered as a major success for the Delhi government and its governing party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who have been at odds with the federal government over their right to rule Delhi since they came to power in 2015.
The central government had maintained that the President of India, who appoints the Lieutenant Governor, had exclusive authority over the Delhi administration. The Supreme Court’s decision has, nevertheless, maintained the federalism and decentralisation principles entrenched in the Indian Constitution, granting major authority to the state governments.
Legal experts have praised the verdict as a victory for democratic accountability and constitutional governance and have urged the central government to obey the Court’s ruling by not interfering with the operations of the Delhi administration.
The relationship between state governments and the federal government may be significantly impacted by this judgement. Though it is a significant victory for the Delhi government, which can now assert its control over the bureaucracy and make decisions on its own that are in the best interests of Delhi residents.