The Delhi High Court has asked LG of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena on a plea filed by a politician of Aam Aadmi Party Jasmine Shah who has challenged the order of LG restricting him from discharging the duties of vice-chairman of Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDCD).
The Single-judge Justice Yashwant Varma has asked the counsel of LG for getting the instructions on the issue.
Court wants to examine the scope of the power that can be exercised by the LG in the matter and listed the case for hearing on November 28.
As per the media reports, after the order by LG, the DDCD’s office where Vice chairman sits was locked and his official vehicle was taken away.
The LG also instructed the CM Arvind Kejriwal for sacking the Vice Chairman Shah for misusing his office for political purposes”.
The LG took this action after a complaint alleging that the vice-chairman of Delhi government think tank, DDCD, has been acting as official spokesperson of AAP for political gains, in violation of established procedures was filed by BJP MP Parvesh Singh Verma.
In the plea, the AAP politician has also challenged the decision of the chamber of the Director (Planning), who ordered locking of Shah’s office and withdrawing all staff and facilities provided to him.
The plea also said that in case of DDCD the sole supervisory jurisdiction and authority over the appointment and discharge of function lies with Delhi cabinet and the Chief Minister and LG does not have any jurisdiction to take cognizance of the complaint or ask for explanation.
The plea also said that the entire basis of the proceedings against the Petitioner having misused his office as Vice Chairperson, DDCD by appearing in television debates on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party is fallacious and misconceived,” the plea said.
The plea made it clear that the expectation of political neutrality is only associated with the Government servants who constitute the permanent executive in a Parliamentary system of democracy such as the one adopted by India.
In such a system, while policy is decided by elected leaders while policy decisions are implemented by the Government servants.