The statement was made during the hearing of the plea by the Delhi government challenging the constitutional validity of the Delhi Services Ordinance enacted by the Central government, giving overriding powers to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi to oversee the transfers and postings of civil servants in the national capital.
“I am contemplating of filing a PIL in my own name so that constitutional functionaries do not engage on Twitter and Instagram and instead resort to the method which was adopted in earlier days,” he said.
The statement was made in the context of the growing differences between the LG and the Aam Aadmi Party government who have been at loggerheads with the tiff spilling on to the social media most times.
The Court during the hearing said that both the LG and the Delhi Chief Minister should sit together and sort out their differences, particularly concerning appointment of chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC).
“Let the two constitutional functionaries now sit down and get to governance. DERC chairperson is not the issue but that you both can sit together and sort out some issues,” Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud remarked.
Regarding the challenge to the ordinance, the Court said that it prima facie seemed to be effectively an amendment to the Constitution and hence, a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court might have to examine the issue.
“For the first time they have used power conferred under clause 7 of Article 239AA to take services outside the purview of Delhi govt..in a way constitution has been amended.. and we have to see is that permissible. We will hear the challenge to the ordinance by a Constitution Bench. We have to see by doing this can you amend the constitution,” the Court said.
Source: Barandbench
