more-in After an openly acrimonious relationship with his predecessor, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reached out through a letter to Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal seeking better coordination between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and Raj Niwas, according to sources. In fact, according to a source, Mr. Kejriwal and Mr. Baijal may sit across the table to discuss their respective “constitutional jurisdictions” — regarding respective roles in the administration of the Capital which enjoys special status — sooner rather than later. Fresh look at Constitution Mr. Kejriwal wrote to the L-G earlier this week appealing for “better coordination” and “avoiding unnecessary controversies” related to administrative functioning in sync with both existing constitutional regulations as well as the Delhi High Court judgment of last August which held the L-G the supreme administrator of the Capital, the source said, adding that the two had also met recently. According to the source, Mr. Kejriwal's move was triggered by “a few recent instances” that saw the alleged bypassing of Ministers appointed by the elected Delhi government in administrative procedures relating to work falling under the jurisdiction of the departments allocated to them. “The Chief Minister has suggested that the understanding of the Constitution be discussed afresh in relation to existing regulations such as the Transaction of Business Rules and the division of powers between both offices according to the August 4, 2016 (Delhi) High Court Judgment,” said a senior government official. “In the communication, the Chief Minister has also sought to draw the L-G's attention to some recent developments which indicate encroachment upon the respective jurisdictions entrenched in existing laws and Constitutional norms by way of which the Capital is administered,” the official further said but refused to comment on a meeting between the Chief Minister and the L-G to discuss the same. The relationship not just between Mr. Kejriwal and former Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung — who abruptly resigned from his post in December last year — but the entirety of the Delhi government's cabinet of Ministers was a particularly thorny one with both finding themselves on the wrong side of each other in full public view more often than not since the AAP formed the Delhi government in February, 2015. HC ruling It was under Mr. Jung's tenure that the issue of constitutional jurisdiction between both offices went to the courts and is under litigation at the Supreme Court. On August 4, 2016, a Bench headed by then Chief Justice G. Rohini held that matters connected with 'services' fall outside the purview of the Legislative Assembly of Delhi. “Therefore, the direction... that the Lt. Governor of the NCT of Delhi shall in respect of matters connected with 'services' exercise the powers and discharge the functions of the Central government to the extent delegated to him from time to time by the President is neither illegal nor unconstitutional.” On February 3 this year, the Delhi government termed the Delhi High Court’s decision giving the L-G solitary administrative powers over the Capital “deeply flawed” submitting before the Supreme Court that the L-G’s power was finite and that consultation with the elected government and legislature was a must.

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