SC refuses urgent hearing of plea to declare Kejriwal's sit-in as unconstitutional

The Supreme Court today refused an urgent hearing on a plea seeking its direction to declare as "unconstitutional" the sit-in of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues inside the lieutenant governor's office here.

Kejriwal and his ministers have been staging a sit-in at L-G Anil Baijal office since June 11 evening to press for their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against those who have struck work.

A vacation bench comprising justices S A Nazeer and Indu Malhotra said the plea would be listed for hearing after the summer vacation.

Lawyer Shashank Sudhi, appearing for petitioner Hari Nath Ram, sought the urgent hearing of the plea, saying a constitutional crisis has been created due to "the unconstitutional and illegal" protest by the chief minister inside the L-G's office here. Moreover, the citizens are "left high and dry", he said.

Sudhi said the Delhi High Court, which had heard the matters on the issue yesterday, has now posted them for hearing on June 22 and that the city is facing an "emergency situation" in which citizens are facing severe water crisis.

"We will list it on reopening of the court," the bench said, while declining the request for urgent hearing.

Besides seeking declaration of the sit-in as unconstitutional, the plea also sought initiation of perjury proceedings against either the chief minister or the office of the lieutenant governor (L-G) on the ground that one of them is lying.

The chief minister has been claiming that the IAS officers are on strike, but the L-G's office has asserted that the officers are very much on the job, the lawyer said.

The high court had virtually disapproved the sit-in led by Kejriwal at the LG's office and asked the AAP government who had authorised such a protest.