Amended GNCTD Act becomes law with President’s Murmu’s nod, paves way for key appointments in Delhi

Government sources said the development has paved the way for a “long-pending” exercise related to the transfer and posting of civil servants in the city which is likely to be taken up next week.

The law bolsters the Centre’s control over the administration of Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, giving the latter “sole discretion” to act in matters that fall out of the ambit of the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

Initially part of the ordinance which it has now replaced as law, the three-member National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA), consisting of the Chief Minister and two senior bureaucrats appointed by the Centre, has been further empowered by the law.

The body is now legally mandated not only to take decisions regarding the transfer, postings and vigilance matters of bureaucrats posted in Delhi, but also the appointment of heads of bodies such as the Delhi Commission for Women, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), the Delhi Transport Corporation and Delhi Jal Board among others.

According to government sources, the NCCSA – which is chaired by the Chief Minister and has the Delhi Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) as the other two members – is expected to meet to discuss “several key appointments” related to the capital’s bureaucracy in the coming week following the notification of the law.

The authority was last scheduled to meet on July 28 before its meeting, the fifth in a row, was postponed. Prior to this, the NCCSA had met on June 29.