New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party is likely to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court verdict on the lieutenant governor's power to nominate aldermen to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, party sources said on Tuesday.
The AAP dispensation maintained that constitutional issues were involved and the verdict was not good for the country.
"We are taking legal opinion on the matter to explore the option of approaching a higher bench of the Supreme Court to challenge the verdict."
"This is a constitutional issue. The verdict undermines the democratic system of our country. Does not matter if our party remains in power or not. This is not good for the country," a top party leader in the know of things told PTI.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala on Monday rejected the Delhi government's plea that the L-G is bound to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers in nominating 10 aldermen to the MCD.
Reacting to it, senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh had said the party "respectfully disagrees" with the verdict and the SC's decision gives the L-G the right to bypass the elected government.
However, a senior MCD official said the apex court order on aldermen nomination is being studied and the decision to hold the elections for the 18-member standing committee, MCD's highest decision-making body, will be taken accordingly.
The constitution of the standing committee was stalled for the past 1.5 years because the matter was in court.
"The verdict of the Supreme Court was uploaded on its website today (Tuesday). We will first go through the verdict and study what it says. Based on that, the file to notify the dates for holding the standing committee elections will be sent further," the official said.
According to the process of seeking approval for holding the election, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi will first issue the directions to the Municipal Secretary Siva Prasad KV to hold the election.
The file is then sent to MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar to decide the dates for the elections. Finally, the dates will be notified by the Municipal Secretary.
The MCD will first hold elections for ward committees at zonal levels to elect 12 members each for the standing committee. Later the MCD House conducts voting to elect six members for the committee.
The court's order came as a major setback for the AAP in MCD as despite having a majority among elected members it may lose its grip if the members backing BJP gain dominance in the standing committee.
Also, there are apprehensions of tussles among parties over the passing of proposals involving an expenditure of more than Rs 5 crore that will come under the ambit of the committee.