The Ministry of Home Affairs amended a 1998 notification today and said that according to the Constitution L-G was the “administrative head” of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The notification also made it clear that since bureaucrats and police officers working in the Delhi government belong to central cadres like AGMU, IPS, DANICS and DANIPS, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Delhi government had no jurisdiction on them. This notification comes as a severe blow to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s anti-corruption drive, since they will no longer be able to book these officials facing charges of corruption.
Today’s gazette notification supercedes the one in 1998, issued by the then Home Minister LK Advani also says that legislative assembly of Delhi has no “executive powers” and the order of L-G will be final when it came to matters of transfers and postings. It was on the issue of appointment of an interim chief secretary Shakuntala Gamlin that the L-G office and Delhi government had a heated controversy.