Who Calls the Shots in Delhi? Arvind Kejriwal vs Centre Turns Into 2 Court Cases

New Delhi: The battle between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Centre over who calls the shots in Delhi has resulted in two major court cases. Both will be heard on Friday; both are based on a notification issued by the union government that greatly downsized Mr Kejriwal's powers.

The notification was described "suspect" by the Delhi High Court earlier this week. Mr Kejriwal, seeking a firmer resolution, on Thursday challenged the notification in the High Court because it declares that he has no role in the appointment of bureaucrats.

The Centre, meanwhile, has asked the Supreme Court to overturn the "suspect" tag. In apparent preparation for the hearing, Home Minister Rajnath Singh met with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Thursday morning.

The Lieutenant Governor acts as the representative of the Centre in Delhi and is vested with considerable powers because the capital is a union territory, not a state. Mr Kejriwal, who smashed records with an outsized win in February's election, says the Lieutenant Governor's role is being further expanded by the Centre which wants to govern Delhi by proxy.

An especially sore point of dispute between Mr Jung and the Chief Minister is the appointment of top bureaucrats. Mr Jung claims he alone can decide on their postings, a stand endorsed by the Centre's notification that was issued last week. Mr Kejriwal says he cannot be saddled with officers who have not been selected in consultation with him. On Thursday, he asked the High Court to overturn the appointment of a woman IAS officer as the top bureaucrat in his government - his objection to her candidature was ignored by the Lieutenant Governor.

The Centre has also declared that its employees and officers cannot be investigated for venality by Delhi's Anti-Corruption Bureau, which reports to the Chief Minister. The High Court has said that's incorrect. Mr Kejriwal has said the Centre is "desperate to shield its corrupt officers."