Alderman: The MCD Battle Delhi vs Union

In a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the Supreme Court ruled today that the Lieutenant Governor has the authority to nominate aldermen in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) without requiring the Delhi government's advice.

"As Parliament has conferred power on LG to nominate 10 aldermen, AAP government cannot quarrel with that,"

The bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and including Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala, stated that this power is statutory and not executive.

Justice Narasimha highlighted that under Section 3(3)(b) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the Lieutenant Governor can nominate ten individuals aged 25 and above with relevant municipal administration expertise.

This ruling counters the AAP's longstanding argument that the Centre's control over Delhi, via the Lieutenant Governor, undermines the elected city's government.

The AAP criticized the decision as undemocratic, while BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal supported the ruling, asserting it clarifies the legal powers of the Lieutenant Governor.

Alderman: A member of a city council. Aldermen usually represent city districts, called wards, and work with the mayor to run the city government.

Jockeying among aldermen for political influence is often associated with machine politics .

Refrence: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/delhi-lg-has-power-to-nominate-aldermen-in-mcd-supreme-court/