Whether it’s AAP or Centre: SC Favoured Democracy

Well, what ends well fares well. Supreme Court, the almighty has given a verdict favouring democracy; hence, ultimately favouring Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Yesterday SC ruled that Lieutenant Governor (L-G) cannot interrupt in the functions of the AAP government’s policy decisions. This was decided by a bench of 5-judges, which was headed by Dipak Mishra, Chief Justice of India, which concluded that no approval of L-G is required for making laws, except in the land cases, police and law and order. This verdict has literally boosted AAP. AAP members are feeling positive as the work will no longer be on halt.

In an unusual sprouting of sudden demands and interests in the higher civil service officers and their roles, the political and bureaucratic corridors are experiencing grilled sandwiches-like situations. Modi government has done a lot of reshuffling in the roles, and responsibilities of different ministries, as well as in the bureaucratic system. The frequency of reshuffling was so much that we can literally term 2017 as the year of “political-bureaucratic re-shuffles”. There have been a strange series of protests and resistance demonstrated by the IAS officers posted in Delhi government, who refused to attend the meetings arranged by the ministers. And, this led to sit-in protest by the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal. Even if you turn the pages of history, you can’t find any resistance before. However, it will surely remind you of a similar scene from the movie Singham 2. Such occurrences are gyring public debates, further raising dubious eyebrows on the sustainability of the government and its method of work.

What shook the balance was the Modi government’s decision to bring forth a notification issued in 2015, that empowers centre to snatch a crucial support from the state government without even bothering to have some courtesy to check with the consulting chief minister. So, it indicates that Union government appoints and controls the officers of Delhi administration, being least concerned about the CM’s consent. Let’s not forget how Modi invited Yogi Ji for the inauguration of a metro line in Delhi, keeping Delhi’s CM -AAP’s President aloof from this. All of this reflects questionable existence of democracy and democratic power in the hands of those who run the country.

The best part of this series of disappointment is that it has a happy ending like those fantasy stories. The apex court said that the L-G is bound by the advice of the elected government. In this “landmark judgment”, as Manish Sisodia, Deputy CM, has termed, SC has proved yet again that nothing takes a higher place than democracy in democratic India. Despite of BJP considering it as a setback for AAP, many are on the same page as is Kejriwal, who hailed the court’s decision by calling it as the “victory of democracy”.