Notification on Delhi power structure issued, LG is the boss

Lieutenant governor has powers regarding public order, police, land and services

GN Bureau | May 22, 2015


#home ministry   #lieutenant governor   #chief minister   #Najeeb Jung   #Arvind Kejriwal   #Delhi   #Narendra Modi   #Rajnath Singh  


The union home ministry on Friday issued a notification clarifying distribution of power between Delhi's lieutenant governor and the chief minister.

According to the MHA notification, the LG has powers regarding public order, police, land and services and this means primacy in postings and transfers of officers belonging to Central services. It clearly states that these matters fall outside the purview of the Delhi assembly and the government.

It is understood that the notification was issued after prime minister Narendra Modi held two rounds of consultations with home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday evening.

The home ministry clarified that in matters like public order, including police and land, the L-G was competent to issues orders. As per legal opinion, L-G was not bound to consult council of ministers but may consult if he/she so desired.

Article 239AA of the Constitution clearly stated that the Legislative Assembly of Delhi shall not have power to make laws relating to subjects such as public order, police and land.

The Centre's clarification backs the Lieutenant Governor on virtually all the points of his dispute with the Chief Minister.

This note will certainly trigger discomfort as Kejriwal has claimed that an elected government cannot be saddled with bureaucrats against its choice.

The appointment as acting chief secretary for Delhi last week had triggered a full-blown war on administrative powers between LG Najeeb Jung and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. It led to allegations, charges and counter-charges on administrative control, humiliation of officials and near revolt by the bureaucrats.

Kejriwal and Jung had met president Pranab Mukherjee. The chief minister had written to Modi on the matter and accused the Centre of using Jung to run the state.

Notification: http://pibphoto.nic.in/documents/rlink/2015/may/p201552201.pdf

Comments

 

Other News

BJP set to capture West Bengal

The political map of the country is set to be redrawn with the BJP set to win the West Bengal assembly elections, apart from Assam and the union territory of Puducherry. In Kerala, meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF is set to regain power. The filmstar Vijay-led TVK has emerged as the front-runner in Tamil Na

Beyond LPG: Is PNG ready for India’s next cooking fuel transition?

India, the second-largest importer and consumer of LPG after China, faces growing pressure due to supply constraints. Most of India`s LPG imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a focal point of global turmoil. Given that LPG forms the backbone of household kitchens and the restaurant industry, any s

Maharashtra adopts hybrid model for Census 2026 data collection

The government has initiated preparations for Census 2026 in Maharashtra, introducing a hybrid approach that combines optional self-enumeration with comprehensive door-to-door data collection to ensure complete coverage across the state.   According to senior officials, the Self-

What the nine Indian Nobel winners have in common

A Touch Of Genius: The Wisdom of India’s Nobel Laureates Edited by Rudrangshu Mukherjee Aleph Books, Rs 1499, 848 pages  

Income Tax dept holds Ghatkopar Outreach on new IT Act

The Income Tax Department organised an outreach programme in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, to raise awareness about the key features of the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective April 1, 2026. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to promote taxpayer awareness, simplify compliance, and strengthen a transparent, eff

Making AI work where governance is closest to people

India’s next governance leap may not solely come from digitisation. It will come from making public systems more intelligent, more adaptive, and more responsive to the dynamics at the grassroots. That opportunity is especially significant at the panchayat level, where governance is not an abstract po


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter