New Delhi: The Lieutenant Governor should not act as “obstructionist” and must respect the democratically elected government, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday, in big boost for Aam Aadmi Party-led government in Delhi.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said New Delhi cannot be given the status of a state. Stressing that the Lt Governor has “no independent decision-making power”, the court said he is bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers. As the verdict was being read out in the court, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal was quick to claim win for his party and described the judgment as “big victory for democracy”.