Aldermen ruling adds to Delhi’s confusion

The Supreme Court’s decision upholding the lieutenant governor’s unilateral appointment of 10 aldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) without consulting the state cabinet might have resolved a thorny legal question around the functioning of the civic body but it has only added more knots to the Capital’s governance deadlock. The top court ruled that LG’s authority to make these appointments without consulting the state cabinet was consistent with the statutory framework and did not violate the principles of democratic governance outlined in Article 239AA of the Constitution. The decision could bring an end to the uncertainty in the functioning of the MCD’s standing committee, where a stalemate had resulted in administrative delays in policy and financial matters.

But the decision – which is a significant setback for the Aam Aadmi Party, which runs MCD but is locked in a battle with the LG – must be seen against the backdrop of the bigger governance dysfunction that has crippled the Capital and hurt its physical and human infrastructure. The question of aldermen is only one small piece in the bigger tussle for control of the Capital, a Union Territory with a legislative assembly and an elected government. The dysfunction in governance due to the acrimony between the LG and the elected government has now affected every segment of the population in Delhi. It is pertinent to note that the verdict on aldermen came amid scathing criticism of the Delhi civic body’s handling of essential services and management of drains and stormwater systems. The tragic deaths of civil service aspirants last month in the basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar is only the latest example of how this unresolved power tussle is hurting the ordinary citizen. Until the court takes a call on a host of pending challenges, that situation will not improve.

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