The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice regarding holding time-bound elections for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), seeking Lieutenant Governor VK Saksena’s response in the matter.
The matter was heard by a top court bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narsimhan and JB Pardiwala.
The court also ordered the pro-term speaker and the MCD Commissioner to respond. The matter will be heard again on Monday.
The hearing comes after the AAP government’s mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi and others moved a plea seeking early holding of the mayoral election. The petition was moved after three failed attempts to elect the mayor and deputy mayor of Delhi over three sessions of the Delhi Assembly amid a massive showdown between the ruling AAP and the BJP.
On Monday, yet another attempt was made to elect the Delhi mayor, but failed following ruckus after the presiding officer said that the aldermen nominated by the LG will vote in the polls. This prompted an agitated AAP to announce it would take the matter to the Supreme Court.
Both the BJP and AAP have consistently accused one another of preventing the mayoral polls. The key point of contention was the appointment of aldermen and their voting rights in the House.
On Tuesday, AAP leaders staged a massive protest at the BJP office amid a protest by the BJP at the AAP office.
The AAP, which has a majority with 134 out of 250 elected members, has alleged that the BJP was trying to steal its mandate by giving voting rights to nominated members.
The mayoral election in the national capital was stalled twice before that as the MCD House was adjourned indefinitely by the lieutenant governor-appointed presiding officer owing to rucks by both the BJP and AAP members.
According to the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act, 1957, the mayor and the deputy mayor are to be elected in the very first session of the House after the civic polls. However, it’s been two months since the municipal elections were held on December 4 and Delhi is yet to get a mayor.
(With PTI Inputs)
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