New Delhi: The Kejriwal government suffered a setback on Friday when the Supreme Court declined to restrain the Delhi High Court from pronouncing its verdict on a batch of petitions relating to the issue of jurisdiction on various aspects between the Centre and the Delhi government.
The SC said the HC can pronounce its verdict including the issue relating to jurisdiction as well as on merits. Indira Jaising, appearing for the Delhi government submitted before a Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Uday Lalit that the High Court ought not to have entertained the writ petition, regard being had to the exclusive jurisdiction of this Court in the dispute between Centre vis-à-vis the States under Article 131 of the Constitution.
Rejecting the submission, the Bench in a brief order said, “On a perusal of the cause title, we find that the petitioner had approached the High Court.
In our considered opinion, when the High Court has already heard the matter and reserved the judgment on all the issues including the preliminary issue, it is desirable that the HC should pronounce the judgment. Thereafter, needless to say, it will be open to the parties to seek their remedies as advised in law.”
