SC to hear AAP’s petition on re-election today

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Monday take up Aam Aadmi Party’s petition seeking a direction to the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve Delhi Legislative Assembly and hold fresh polls along with Lok Sabha elections.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam had on Friday agreed to hear AAP’s petition which challenged February 16 notification imposing President’s rule in the Capital.

“Thus, the aforesaid decision is not only arbitrary and illegal and in violation of the democratic rights of the citizens of Delhi but also malafide,” stated the petition, jointly filed by AAP and Saurabh Bhardwaj, who was the transport minister in Kejriwal Cabinet.

“There is no possibility of any alternate government in Delhi and the L-G should have dissolved the Assembly,” advocate Prashant Bhushan had on Friday told the bench on behalf of AAP.

The petitioners alleged that the President’s rule was imposed with a view to protect Congress leaders and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from corruption charges and to frustrate the ongoing investigation in corruption cases lodged by AAP government.

To keep the assembly under suspended animation by ignoring the categorical recommendation of the majority government of the NCT of Delhi for dissolving the House raised serious constitutional questions.

The petition stated that imposition of the President’s rule has denied the citizens of Delhi their democratic right to have an elected popular government.

The petition stated the order to impose President’s rule was “illegal, arbitrary and in violation” of Article 14 of the Constitution as after the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal government neither BJP nor Congress were in a position to form the government and they had already expressed their unwillingness in this regard.