'Democracy will be in danger': SC raps Delhi L-G over MCD standing committee election

'Where do you get power to interdict electoral process?' asks Apex Court

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The Supreme Court on Friday expressed serious concerns over Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's office's involvement in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) standing committee elections, questioning the "tearing hurry" to conduct the polls and cautioning against interference in the electoral process.

A division bench of Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan directed the L-G's office to refrain from holding elections for the MCD standing committee chairman until the next hearing while issuing notice on a petition filed by Mayor Shelly Oberoi challenging the September 27 standing committee polls. The court took a particularly critical view of the L-G's use of powers under Section 487 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act to conduct the election for the standing committee member. "Section 487 is an executive power. Where do you get the power to interdict the electoral process?" the bench questioned, adding: "What happens to democracy if you keep interfering like this? Democracy will be in danger."