Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi can’t interfere with UT govt: Madras HC

New Delhi: Madras High Court’s Madurai bench on Tuesday ruled that Puducherry’s Lt Governor Kiran Bedi could not interfere with the day-to-day functioning of the government in the Union territory.

The court said that “Bedi does not have the power to call for files and give orders to the officials”, news agency IANS reported.

The power tussle between Bedi and Puducherry Chief Minister Narayansamy intensified last year after he launched a six-day protest against her alleged interference in state policies. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who said he was facing a similar situation, supported Narayansamy. He had accused Bedi of disrupting the functioning of his government, acting on the Centre’s orders.

The high court’s order came on a writ petition filed by UT Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan in 2017 questioning the LG’s powers to intervene in day-to-day administration despite the presence of a council of ministers.

Tension escalated in the former French enclave when CM Narayanasamy launched an indefinite dharna in February against alleged interference by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi.

The Puducherry CM and five of his ministers blockaded Raj Nivas and slept on the road for one night. In a letter to Narayanasamy, Bedi called his protest ‘unlawful’.

Demanding that the Centre should grant statehood to Puducherry and replace Kiran Bedi as Lt Governor, Narayanasamy had also led an agitation in front of Parliament in Delhi.