The Delhi High Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea challenging the constitutionality of the law which gives the lt Governor power to refer certain Bills to the Centre before it is tabled in the Assembly. The court will hear the petition on Tuesday. The PIl assumes significance as the Delhi Government’s move to table the Jan lokpal Bill before the Assembly has not received the l-G’s assent.
A bench of justices BD Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul renotified the PIl for hearing on February 18 saying it was not clear at the moment whether the Bill has been introduced and under which statutory provision the l-G had refused to give assent to its tabling. “We can’t go by news reports and hearsay (on tabling of the Bill). We don’t know what the Delhi Government is doing. We don’t know under what provision the l-G has acted. Renotify on Tuesday (February 18),” the bench said.