NEW DELHI: Mayor Shelly Oberoi has approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to take over the Standing Committee’s functions till the panel is legally constituted.
While arraying the Lieutenant Governor (LG) as a party in the petition, the mayor has contended that the work of the civic body has come to a standstill in the absence of a standing committee.
The Constitution of MCD’s Standing Committee, its primary executive body, is pending adjudication of the legality of nominated persons’ appointments before the SC.
The mayor sought the top court’s intervention to ensure the smooth functioning of the MCD through the corporation, till the Standing Committee is legally constituted.
Shelly also solicited the apex court to pass any other order or direction that the court may deem fit and appropriate in the interest of justice.
On May 17, 2023, the apex court reserved judgment on the question of whether the L-G has the authority to nominate aldermen to the MCD without the aid and advice of the Delhi government.
In accordance with the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957, the MCD Standing Committee consists of 18 members, a special majority of whom (12 nos) are elected by members of the Wards Committees.
The wards committees, in turn, include persons nominated by the LG on the aid and advice of the GNCTD who are entitled to vote in the Standing Committee elections.
The MCD mayor reasoned in the petition that, in blatant disregard of the statute, the L-G suo-motu appointed the currently nominated individuals through orders dated January 3 and 4 without the aid and advice of the Delhi government.