A day after Supreme Court ruled that Delhi government was the master of administrative services – transfer and posting   of the senior bureaucrats serving under it other than those engaged with public order, police and land – the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday again knocked its (top court’s) door on the removal of the Secretary of the Delhi government’s Services Department.

Heading a bench also comprising Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud upon a mention by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi agreed to constitute a bench to hear Delhi government’s plea next week.

The top court constitution bench on Thursday (May 11) ruled that the Delhi government would have control over all services and officers serving under it barring those dealing with public order, police and land, and the Lt. governor does not have an all-encompassing supervision over the administration of the national capital.

Armed with the constitution bench hearing, the Kejriwal government yesterday itself removed Ashish More, Secretary of the Delhi government’s Services Department, from his post but encountered hurdles from the Centre.

Delhi government has alleged that the Centre is not initiating the transfer of the services secretary serving under it.

Singhvi in his mentioning, while referring to the constitution bench judgment, said that now there can be contempt.

More will be replaced by former Delhi Jal Board CEO A.K. Singh, a 1995-batch (AGMUT cadre) IAS officer.

In a unanimous ruling by a five-judge constitution bench, the top court ended a bitter standoff between the centre and the Kejriwal government on the issue of the control over the posting and transfer of senior ranking bureaucrats.

The government of the national capital territory of Delhi (NCTD) should have control over services except the ones excluded from its legislative and consequent executive domain, the constitution bench had said.

The governance of the national capital has witnessed a running power tussle between the Centre and the Delhi government since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power in 2014.