Arvind Kejriwal 'welcomes' Madras High Court's verdict against Lt Governor Kiran Bedi's interference in affairs of Puducherry government. Read here

AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomed the Madras High Court verdict against Lieutenant Governor Dr Kiran Bedi's interference in the routine governance of Puducherry.

Taking to Twitter, Arvind Kejriwal said that he "welcomes the verdict by Madra High Court stating unambiguously that Modi govt's political nominee Puducherry LG Ms Kiran Bedi has no power to interfere in elected govt's functioning". 

READ | Puducherry CM V Narayanaswamy Ends 6-day Sit-in After Marathon Talks With Lt Governor Kiran Bedi

In what came as a major setback for Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, the Madras High Court on Tuesday said that the 'Lieutenant Governor has no powers to interfere' in the matter of the Union Territory.

The verdict came over a writ petition filed in 2017 by Puducherry Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan in 2017 questioning the powers of Lieutenant Governor to interfere in the daily administration of the union territory despite the presence of a council of ministers.

In the hearing, the Madras High Court said: "Bedi does not have to power to call for files and give orders to the officials".

This development came in the light of power tussle between Kiran Bedi and Puducherry CM Narayansamy which escalated after the latter launched a huge dharna against the former's interference in the state policies. Previously also, Arvind Kejriwal backed the Puducherry CM in the matter. Later in February, Puducherry CM ended his sit-in after a meeting with Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, saying "partial success" was achieved on various demands.

READ | Arvind Kejriwal Meets Protesting Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy To Show His Solidarity, Says 'Delhi Like Situation In Puducherry As Well Because Of LG's Over Ruling'