New Delhi: Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, hit out at lieutenant governor V.K. Saxena’s order to terminate the services of around 400 persons appointed as advisors, consultants, and fellows in different departments of the Delhi government. Kejriwal said the decision will “strangulate” the Delhi government.The development is the latest flare-up in continuing tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government and the lieutenant governor, who is the representative of the Union government, for authority over administrative personnel and civil servants in Delhi. The National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, brought out the Centre, is the starting point of this tussle.On Wednesday, July 5, the Services Department directed all government departments to immediately stop engaging all staff deployed as fellows, associate fellows, and advisors, who had been appointed “without the approval of LG”. Among those appointed are specialists working in different departments, autonomous bodies, and PSUs.The order of the Services Department also said reservation policies were not followed by the departments in these engagements.To this, Kejriwal reacted sharply, saying that the decision “will completely strangulate Delhi government and its services”. Taking to Twitter, he wrote, “This will completely strangulate Delhi govt and its services. I don’t know what does Hon’ble LG achieve by doing all this? I hope Hon’ble SC immediately quashes it.”This will completely strangulate Delhi govt and its services. I don’t know what does Hon’ble LG achieve by doing all this? I hope Hon’ble SC immediately quashes it. https://t.co/MJvLqSEOdq— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 6, 2023While the LG’s office said all these appointments had been done without getting approval from Saxena’s office and are “irregular”, the AAP government maintains that they were brought in to lend expertise to the government’s functioning and were responsible for policy suggestions and framing as well as scientific inputs in specialised areas, according to Indian Express.Against this backdrop, the Supreme Court on Thursday, July 6, listed the Delhi government’s petition to challenge the controversial Ordinance for hearing on July 10, The Hindu reported.When senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Delhi government, sought an urgent hearing of the plea on Thursday, July 6, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, said that he will hear it on July 10 along with another petition moved by the Delhi government. The AAP government also moved the court against the appointment of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chairperson, which is scheduled to come up for a hearing on July 11. Both petitions will now be heard on July 10.“The ordinance has now wrested control over civil servants serving in Delhi from the Government of NCT of Delhi to the unelected Lieutenant Governor… It has done so without seeking to amend the Constitution, in particular Article 239AA, which holds that the power and control over services should be vested in the elected government,” said the Delhi government in its petition, according to the Hindu.