**Supreme Court allows Delhi government to defer oath of DERC chairman by a week**
– The Supreme Court has granted permission to the Delhi government to postpone the administration of oath to Justice Umesh Kumar (Retd) as the chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) by one week.
– During a courtroom exchange, the Delhi government’s senior advocate accused the Centre of overreach, while the solicitor general accused the Delhi government of playing with the law with “devious intention”.
– The ordinance issued on May 19 allows the Centre to appoint chairpersons to all statutory boards, which means that while the Delhi government pays for their salaries and perks, it cannot hold them accountable.
– The AAP government is accused of resorting to deceit and half-truths, with the Chief Minister directing the power minister to administer oath to Justice Kumar on June 27, but then taking disciplinary action against department officials who attempted to fix the date of oath.
– The Supreme Court suggested deferring Justice Kumar’s oath until Tuesday, when it will hear the Delhi government’s petition challenging the Centre’s decision to appoint the DERC chairman.
– The Delhi government has also challenged the constitutional validity of Section 45D introduced by the May 19 ordinance, which reduces the elected government of Delhi to a mere spectator who pays for the appointees but without exercising any control over them.
– The Delhi government alleges that the Centre wants to put obstacles in its popular power supply scheme, which provides 200 units of free electricity per month to the poor.
– Previously, the Lieutenant Governor objected to the Delhi government nominating Justice Shrivastava as DERC chairman, but the Supreme Court had directed the Centre to notify the appointment within two weeks.
– The Supreme Court is considering staying the appointment of Justice Kumar, but the solicitor general strongly opposes any stay.
– The bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha will take up the Delhi government’s petition on Tuesday.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/sc-allows-delhi-govt-to-defer-oath-of-derc-chair/articleshow/84510631.cms
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