Supreme Court Gives Go Ahead To Six Month Extension To Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar Amid Opposition By AAP Govt

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (29 November) declined to intervene in the Centre's decision to extend the tenure of Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar by six months.

The court affirmed that the Centre possesses the authority to appoint Delhi's chief secretary under the 2024 law governing the administration of the national capital.

This ruling follows the Centre's disclosure to the court about the extension, prompting the court to question whether there were other eligible officers capable of succeeding Kumar.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud noted that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has apprised the court that the Union government proposes to grant an extension of six months to the incumbent.

According to LiveLaw, CJI said, "The decision of the Union Government to extend the services of Chief Secretary for six months cannot be construed to be violative of law."

Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party government had opposed the term extension citing a lack of trust. Singhvi argued that unilaterally extending the term without the involvement of the Delhi government could not be considered valid.

Describing the Chief Secretary as the "linchpin,"  AM Singhvi, representing the Delhi Government, emphasised that the administration could not function without him.