Delhi govt moves SC to withdraw seven cases filed during AAP rule challenging LG’s authority

The Delhi government on Thursday approached the Supreme Court, seeking to withdraw seven cases filed during the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration that challenged the authority of the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) in various administrative matters, including river rejuvenation and waste management.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed that the application filed by the BJP-led Delhi government be listed for hearing on Friday.

Representing the Delhi government, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that the cases in question contested the L-G’s role in multiple committees—among them those related to solid waste management and the cleaning of the Yamuna river—as well as the validity of certain laws and ordinances.

“These matters should not trouble this court anymore,” Bhati said, requesting permission to formally withdraw the petitions.

Responding to the submission, Justice Kant said, “We will list all these cases for Friday and take up the application.”

One of the key cases was filed by the previous AAP regime, challenging a National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive issued in January 2023 that appointed the L-G as head of a high-level committee tasked with Yamuna river rejuvenation. In July 2023, the Supreme Court had stayed that NGT order and agreed to examine the Delhi government’s plea.

The NGT, in its directive, had cited that Delhi accounted for roughly 75 percent of the pollution in the Yamuna compared to other basin states. It recommended that the LG, who serves as the chairman of the Delhi Development Authority and administrator of the capital under Article 239 of the Constitution, should chair the inter-agency committee overseeing the clean-up.

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The fresh move by the current administration signals a shift in approach, potentially paving the way for a more cooperative framework between the city government and the LG’s office.

(With inputs from PTI)