AAP moves Supreme Court against Municipal Corporation of Delhi's recent standing committee election

AAP moves Supreme Court against Municipal Corporation of Delhi's recent standing committee election

New Delhi ; The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has approached the Supreme Court to contest the election of a member to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) standing committee. This challenge comes after Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of "murdering" democracy and labeling the election as "illegal and unconstitutional."

The BJP won the last vacant seat on the MCD's 18-member standing committee unopposed after AAP councillors abstained from voting. In a related move, the BJP has also sought an urgent hearing in the Supreme Court to initiate contempt proceedings against Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi concerning the election process.

In a press conference, Atishi asserted that the AAP would contest the election results from Friday, arguing that the process violated the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) Act of 1957. According to Atishi, only the mayor has the authority to set the date and venue for such elections and to preside over the meetings.

"The country runs by the Constitution and laws, not by hooliganism. So the BJP should stop murdering democracy," she stated.

"According to the rules, only the mayor can decide the date and place for the election of the MCD standing committee members. Only the mayor can preside over a meeting of the MCD councillors for the election," the Delhi chief minister said.

"Flouting democracy, Constitution and laws, and on the lieutenant governor's instructions, the election of the standing committee member was conducted by making an additional commissioner of the MCD the presiding officer instead of the mayor," she remarked.

Responding to Atishi's allegations, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva characterized her statements as politically motivated and intended to sow confusion. He pointed out that the formation of the standing committee is mandated under section 45 of the DMC Act, and that section 487 allows the LG and municipal commissioner to convene meetings under special circumstances.

"Atishi should know that under section 45 of the DMC Act, the formation of the standing committee is mandatory. Under section 487, the LG and the municipal commissioner have the authority to convene a meeting of the corporation under special circumstances and they can appoint a presiding officer for the meeting," he said.

Sachdeva challenged Atishi to explain why the AAP has failed to appoint a Dalit mayor during its current term, as mandated by the DMC Act. He further asserted that the AAP did not wish for the standing committee election to take place, claiming it was only conducted due to a Supreme Court order and pressure from the Delhi High Court.

"She is attempting to divert public attention from the AAP's loss in the standing committee election and the lack of unity among the party's councillors," Sachdeva stated.

Sachdeva further questioned why the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had assured the Delhi High Court in an affidavit that the process of constituting the standing committee would be completed by the last week of September.

According to Sachdeva, despite this commitment, the mayor and municipal commissioner initially scheduled the election for September 26 but postponed it to October 5 under alleged "pressure" from AAP leaders. He claimed this delay directly violated the affidavit submitted to the high court, raising questions about the AAP's handling of the process.