New Delhi: Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to allow the functions of the Standing Committee to be exercised by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) till the panel is constituted. The Delhi Mayor has made the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) Office a respondent in the petition. The plea, in which the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) Office is the respondent, sought a direction for the smooth functioning of the civic body.
The plea contended that the adjudication of the legality of the nominated persons’ appointments will directly and substantially impact the election of 12 out of 18 members of the Standing Committee i.e; it will directly determine the special majority within it. “Thus, the Standing Committee could not be constituted yet,” said Oberoi, in her plea, seeking a direction for the smooth functioning of the civic body.
The development comes less than a fortnight after Oberoi during a special session of the MCD proposed vesting the powers of the Standing Committee in the House amid a ruckus with the BJP members opposing the move, which they alleged was “illegal and unconstitutional”.
The plea said that on May 17, 2023, the apex court had reserved its verdict on a plea challenging the appointment of nominated persons in the MCD without the aid and advice of the Delhi government. It said that while the judgement of the court is awaited, the functions of the Standing Committee like approving the MCD Commissioner to enter into any contract involving an expenditure greater than Rs 5 crore and other budgetary issues, have come to a halt. The plea said that since the MCD is the body superior to the Standing Committee, both in power and accountability, it would be appropriate for the functions of the committee to be exercised by the MCD in its meetings, till such time the panel is legally constituted.
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