In a bid avert constitutional crisis in the national Capital, lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday sent a letter to the Delhi Assembly Speaker MS Dhir saying that the Delhi Jan lokpal Bill cannot be tabled before the Assembly as it does not have his approval. The communiqué ultimately led to the fall Arvind Kejriwal-led Government in the Capital.
In a message to Speaker, Delhi legislative Assembly, lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung said, “As the Jan lokpal Bill 2014 is being introduced in the legislative Assembly without following the procedure, I hereby send the ‘message’ under section 9 (2) of the Government of NCT of Delhi Act 1991 to the legislative Assembly, not to consider the Bill unless it is introduced with the recommendations of the lieutenant-Governor.”
Jung also stated in his letter that the “message may kindly be informed to the Assembly before the Jan lokpal Bill is introduced during the sitting of the current session.” However, defying lieutenant-Governor’s advice, the Kejriwal government sought permission to table to Bill in the House but its introduction was defeated by BJP and Congress members as 42 votes went against the Bill. The AAP Government has only 27 members in the House. Apart from 32 BJP and 8 Congress legislators, an independent MlA Rambeer Shokeen and JD(U) lone MlA Shoaib Iqbal also voted against the Bill.
“As per Section 22 (3) of the Government of NCT of Delhi Act 1991, the said Bill being a financial bill is
to be sent to the lieutenant-Governor for recommendation and as per Rule 55 (1) of the Transaction of Business of Government of National Capital Territory Rule 1993, the lieutenant-Governor is required to make a prior reference to the Central Government before being introduced in the legislative Assembly. The said Bill has not yet been duly placed before me (Jung) by the Government of NCT of Delhi,” the letter also said.
The l-G further stated in the letter that the Cabinet of the Government of the NCT of Delhi in its decision no 2111 dated 03.02.2014 has approved the proposal of setting up a Jan lokpal in the Government of NCT of Delhi. “The Cabinet further approved that the Bill will be taken up in the Assembly. It has been brought to my notice that the above referred Jan lokpal Bill is being introduced during the current session for consideration in the legislative Assembly commencing on February 13, 2014,” it said.