New Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party government has suffered a setback in the matter of appointment of aldermen i.e. nominated councilors in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi i.e. MCD. The Supreme Court, while giving an important decision on Monday, said that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi i.e. LG has the right to independently nominate 10 aldermen in the MCD. The Supreme Court also clearly said that for the appointment of aldermen, LG does not need to work as per the advice or assistance of the elected government of Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal’s government had gone to the Supreme Court in 2023 against the LG’s decision to nominate 10 aldermen in the MCD. The LG had nominated 10 aldermen in the MCD. The Delhi government said that earlier also the elected government has nominated aldermen in the MCD and it is the right of the government. In May 2023, the Supreme Court had reserved the decision after completing the hearing on the challenge to the LG’s decision to nominate aldermen by the Arvind Kejriwal government. Now after more than 14 months, the Supreme Court has given its verdict and this has given a big setback to the Arvind Kejriwal government.
The aldermen nominated in MCD also have the right to vote. In such a situation, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party wanted the LG to consider the names suggested by it for nominating aldermen, but now the Supreme Court has made it clear that on the issue of nominating aldermen in MCD, the LG of Delhi neither needs to consult the state government nor consider any name sent by it. The LG of Delhi can now nominate anyone he wants as an alderman of MCD.