The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) vehemently refuted the claims made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying during the tenure of the Sheila Dikshit Government, the Chief Minister possessed complete authority over transfer-posting powers.

“However, immediately after the AAP assumed power in 2015, the Modi Government, through a notification, snatched away this rightful authority from the elected government.

“It is crucial to note that this move was an encroachment upon the principles of democracy and governance,” the AAP said in a statement issued on Sunday.

“After an arduous legal battle spanning eight long years, the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench, on May 11, unequivocally declared the Central Government’s notification as erroneous. The Supreme Court, in its explicit order, emphasised that the elected government of Delhi should rightfully exercise its powers over services based on three constitutional principles,” it said.

“However, within a mere eight days after the Supreme Court’s order, the central government hastily resorted to an ordinance, once again infringing upon the elected government’s power of transfer-posting in Delhi.

This brazen act of undermining democratic principles raises serious concerns about the BJP’s intent to upholding the Constitution and respecting the will of the people,” the AAP said.

It further said that AAP firmly maintains that, in accordance with Article 239AA of the Constitution, an elected government has been established in Delhi with a duly constituted assembly.