Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi has moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to allow the functions of the Standing Committee to be exercised by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) till the panel is constituted.
The development comes less than a fortnight after Oberoi during a special session of the MCD proposed vesting the powers of the standing committee in the House amid a ruckus with the BJP members opposing the move, which they alleged was “illegal and unconstitutional”. The plea, in which the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG) Office is the respondent, sought a direction for the smooth functioning of the civic body.
It said that on May 17, 2023, the top court had reserved its verdict on a plea challenging the appointment of nominated persons in the MCD without the aid and advice of the Delhi government.
The adjudication of the legality of the nominated persons’ appointments will directly and substantially impact the election of 12 out of 18 members of the Standing Committee, i.e. it will directly determine the special majority within it. Thus, the Standing Committee could not be constituted yet, Oberoi said in her plea.
It said that while the judgement of the court is awaited, the functions of the Standing Committee like granting approval to the MCD Commissioner to enter into any contract involving an expenditure greater than Rs 5 crore and other budgetary issues, have come to a halt.
“The prevailing situation has affected a range of governance functions of the MCD, from the procurement of textbooks and medical supplies for MCD’s schools and health centres to the maintenance of public parks, public toilets, and other amenities,” the plea said.
