Supreme Court issues notice on Centre’s appeal against HC’s order restraining Puducherry lieutenant governor’s powers 

Kiran Bedi.

New Delhi: After the Madras high court ordered that Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi “cannot interfere” in the day-to-day affairs of the Union territory, on Congress’s K Laksminarayanan’s plea alleging that Bedi was running a “parallel government” in Puducherry, the Supreme Court, on Friday, issued a notice to Laksminarayanan on an appeal filed by the Centre against the HC’s order.

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench, comprising chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta, by solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The bench also issued notice to the various respondents in the appeal, including the State government.

Tushar Mehta recently said that “the governance has come to a standstill” after the high court decision in April that held ‘incessant’ interference from the LG would amount to running a “parallel government.”

The Madras high court had ruled that the LG is bound by the decisions taken by the council of ministers in matters which rests with the legislature of Puducherry, which was hailed by chief minister V Narayanasamy who termed it as “victory” of democracy.

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