Supreme Court defers oath of Delhi power regulator chief; issues notice to Centre, Delhi L-G

The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the oath-taking ceremony of Justice Umesh Kumar, the chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, till July 11.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday deferred the oath-taking ceremony of DERC chairperson-designate Justice (retd.) Umesh Kumar  till July 11 and sought responses from the Centre and the office of the Lieutenant Governor on a plea of the Delhi government challenging the law governing such an appointment. 

The court said Lt Governor VK Saxena should not ask Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to administer an oath to Justice Kumar. Justice Umesh Kumar was appointed chairman of the DERC on June 21. But the Delhi government challenged the appointment in the Supreme Court.

Hearing the Delhi government's plea, the Supreme Court said it will issue a notice to the Centre, Lt Governor and administration of oath to Justice Kumar as DERC chairperson stands deferred.

After the ceremony was postponed owing to Power Minister Atishi's "ill health," Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena instructed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to finish Justice (retd) Umesh Kumar's swearing-in procedure via video conference.  The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had challenged Justice Kumar's appointment in the Supreme Court.

Following the Centre's law on control of bureaucrats, the nomination of the DERC chairman is the most recent cause of contention between the Delhi administration and Lt Governor VK Saxena's office. On June 21, the Arvind Kejriwal-led administration proposed Justice (retired) Sangeet Raj Lodha of the Rajasthan High Court for the position of DERC chairperson. But the same day, the Centre announced Justice Kumar's name.