New Delhi: State Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Friday said he will approach the Delhi Assembly, the Supreme Court, against the Centre’s decision to curtail powers by the Government of India (Amendment) 2021 as a representative of the House. Addressing a press conference, Goel said the Bill, passed by both the Houses of Parliament in March and notified on July 27, “has rendered ineffective several assembly committees, especially those dealing with issues related to the Northeast Delhi riots”. have been.
“We will not challenge the entire Act, “Goyal said at a press conference in the assembly on Friday. The government will have to decide whether to challenge the entire law in court or not. I cannot comment on that aspect.”
He claimed that by amending the GNCTD Act, 1991, the Center has barred committees of the Delhi Assembly from making rules for matters relating to day-to-day administration. “The assembly has decided to approach the apex court against the verdict. We will not challenge the entire Act, but some of its provisions which curtail the powers of the committees of the Legislative Assembly.
Goel said, “We are confident that the court will restore the powers of the assembly which have been taken away through a totally undemocratic and unconstitutional law. We have taken legal advice on this matter.”
The Act, which mandates the prior opinion of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) before every executive action by the Delhi government and every legislative action by the state legislature, was notified in Delhi last month on April 27 after it was passed in both houses of Parliament.
During the monsoon session of the Assembly, Goel had accused the Center of taking away its powers and even slammed BJP MLAs for maintaining silence on the issue.
While the Aam Aadmi Party and other opposition parties across the country criticized the law, the Center said it “promotes harmonious relations between the legislature and the executive, and defines the responsibilities of the elected government and the lieutenant governor in line with the constitutional law.”
Through the amendment, a provision has been added to the original GNCTD Act that prohibits the Legislative Assembly or its committees from making rules for taking matters relating to the day-to-day administration of Delhi or making inquiries in respect of administrative decisions. This has effectively derailed several assembly committees, especially two dealing with issues related to the North-East Delhi riots that took place last year.
Goel told reporters on Friday that the decision to challenge the provisions of the Act was taken following a favorable verdict of the Supreme Court in a case involving the Assembly Committee on Peace and Harmony that probed the role of a social media company in the Delhi riots.
“We are confident that the court will restore the powers of the assembly which have been taken away through a totally undemocratic and unconstitutional law. We have taken legal advice in this matter.”
