High Court Dismisses Petition on Kejriwal’s Removal

The Delhi High Court declined a petition seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Minister of Delhi, stating that it was Kejriwal’s personal decision whether to continue in his role or not. This marks the second petition of its kind that the High Court has dismissed, directing the petitioner to approach constitutional authorities instead.

The division bench of the Delhi High Court emphasized the importance of national interest over personal agendas but affirmed that the decision rested solely with Kejriwal. “We are a court of law. Do you have any precedent where the imposition of President’s rule or Governor’s rule has been mandated by the court?” the bench questioned.

The petition, filed by Vishnu Gupta of the Hindu Sena, was subsequently withdrawn by the petitioner who opted to present his case before the Lieutenant Governor. The petitioner’s counsel highlighted concerns about the governance vacuum in the national capital following Kejriwal’s arrest on March 21.

In response, the High Court reiterated that the issue fell under the purview of the Lieutenant Governor or the President, emphasizing that they were competent to address the matter. “How can we declare that the government is non-functional? The LG is fully empowered to make decisions in accordance with the law,” the court affirmed.

This decision follows the dismissal of a similar PIL filed earlier by Surjit Singh Yadav on March 28. The court had then reaffirmed its stance, stating that it was beyond its jurisdiction to interfere in executive matters, which should be examined by the executive and the President.