Puducherry LG seeks hearing to challenges Madras HC verdict

New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) The Centre on Wednesday sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court regarding a Madras High Court decision curbing the Puducherry Lt Governor's powers and restraining Kiran Bedi from meddling in the administrative day-to-day affairs.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, informed the apex court that the Centre was willing to challenge the High Court decision and sought an urgent listing of the matter. 

Mehta, who was appearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, said: "The governance has come to a standstill." 

The High Court in April held that the interference of the Lt Governor was equivalent to running a "parallel government".

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday struck down the Union Home Ministry's clarification order giving Bedi administrative power.

Deciding on the case filed by Puducherry Congress legislator K. Lakshminarayanan against Bedi, the High Court said the Lt. Governor had no power to interfere in the day-to-day activities of the government. 

The court said: "Bedi does not have the power to call for files and give orders to the officials." 

The court said the administrative and financial powers were with the elected government and the Lt. Governor had to act as per the advice of the council of Ministers, Lakshminarayanan told IANS. 

He said the court said it was only the elected government that had the power.

Lakshminarayanan said the court struck down the clarifications issued by the Union Home Ministry in 2017 on the powers of the Lt. Governor. 

The Congress government in Puducherry and Bedi have been at loggerheads for a long time.