Madras HC curtails Kiran Bedi's powers, asks her to mind her business

In a major setback to Puducherry’s lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi, the Madras High Court on Tuesday (April 30) asked her to refrain from interfering in the day-to-day activities of the government. The court also set aside the directives given by the Home Ministry to the lieutenant governor, which enabled her to have a say in the everyday functioning of the government in the union territory.

The order comes in response to the petition filed by K Lakshminarayanan, a Congress MLA, who alleged that Bedi ‘wants to impose, substitute and perpetrate her ideas, thoughts and decisions on the union territory’. Highlighting the means in which the interference was being carried out, “in the name of review meeting with the officials directly bypassing the elected government; calling for each and every file even before they are officially circulated to her in accordance with the rules and hierarchy; inspection and visits and issuing ‘on the spot’ orders and thereby running a parallel and diametrically opposite government within the government”.

On Bedi’s part, her counsel in the previous argument had said that the LG was administrative officer of the Union territory.

However, on Tuesday the High Court ruled that ‘the administrator cannot interfere in the day to day affairs of the government, adding that the decision taken by the council of ministers and the Chief Minister is binding on the secretaries and other officials. Observing that in case of difference of opinion and in the likelihood of not having a constructive discussion with the council of ministers, the LG can withhold assent only for a brief period and the same has to be referred to the President at the earliest.

In view of Bedi’s move to form social media working groups for officials to report on, contrary to the government’s decision to not allow officials to use the medium for official purpose, the court observed “government officials cannot use their personal media to address the grievance of the public. A public redressal forum in the form of official e-mails, telephone numbers are to be circulated and used, if already not put into use”.

Ever since she was appointed as the LG of the Union territory in 2016, Bedi has had a constant tussle with Chief Minister V Narayanasamy.

Most recently, the CM and his cabinet staged a sit-in outside Raj Nivas after sending a letter with demands concerning welfare schemes. Bedi had earlier objected to free distribution of rice in villages that were not open defecation-free.