SC agrees to hear AAP plea to dissolve Delhi Assembly

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Monday the Aam Aadmi Party's plea seeking a direction to the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve Delhi Assembly and hold fresh polls along with Lok Sabha elections.

The bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said that it will hear the petition on February 24.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for AAP, said, "There is no possibility of any alternate government in Delhi and the Lieutenant Governor should have dissolved the Assembly."

The joint petition filed on the basis of newspaper reports and documents available in public domain by AAP and Saurabh Bhardwaj, who was the Transport Minister in Kejriwal Cabinet, challenged the decision to impose President's rule in Delhi on the recommendation of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung alleging it was done to protect Congress leaders and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from corruption charges.

It contended that the February 16 order imposing President's rule was with a motive to frustrate the ongoing investigation in those corruption cases in which FIR has been lodged by the Arvind Kejriwal government.

"Apparently, the motive behind not dissolving the Delhi Legislative Assembly and holding fresh election is to allow a political party, which had badly lost the Delhi Legislative Assembly Election, held in December 2013 and of which several important leaders including Ministers in central government and the former Chief Minster are facing serious corruption charges.

"....To govern the NCT of Delhi indirectly through the central government as the same party is presently in power in the Centre and also to frustrate the ongoing investigations in those corruption charges under the FIRs which were recently lodged by the Delhi Government.

"Thus, the aforesaid decision is not only arbitrary and illegal and in violation of the democratic rights of the citizens of Delhi but also malafide," the petition has said.