This Article is From Aug 05, 2014

'Should Legislators Sit At Home Without Work?': Supreme Court on Delhi Deadlock

'Should Legislators Sit At Home Without Work?': Supreme Court on Delhi Deadlock

File pic: The last time the Delhi assembly assembled in February

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today did not step into the political deadlock in Delhi, which has been under President's rule for six months, but said it expected the Centre to come up with a solution at the earliest, asking - should elected representatives sit at home without work?

A five-judge Constitution bench of the court said, "We are not looking at political party before us. We are looking at the Delhi citizen's point of view...he may say he has elected a representative and he is drawing salary from taxpayers' money and sitting idle."

The court was hearing a petition by Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to dissolve the assembly and call fresh polls in Delhi. Adjourning the case for five weeks, the judges said the Centre should take a decision at the earliest.

"One party says it has no strength. Other says it has no desire. Third has no strength. In a situation like this why should people suffer?" the bench questioned the Centre.

The judges added that if the Centre made a statement "that the Lieutenant Governor will consider dissolving the house in two months, we will dispose the petition."

Delhi has been under President's rule since February, when Mr Kejriwal quit as Chief Minister after failing to push his Jan Lokpal Bill.

"Our opinion is why should it go with suspended animation and elected representatives sit at home without any work? And why should people suffer?" the court questioned the Centre.

AAP, which won 29 of 70 assembly constituencies, had formed government with help from eight Congress members after the BJP, which won the most number of seats, said it didn't have the numbers to rule.

Mr Kejriwal has accused the BJP of trying to cobble a government by buying the support of rival legislators.

The central government told the court today that it was "still making an endeavor to ensure that people's mandate doesn't go waste in six months."

To which, the court responded, "What sort of endeavor you can make when both the parties  are not interested to form government? Tell us after lunch."
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