New Delhi: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear next month the matter on who controls the administrative services in Delhi – a long-standing source of conflict between the Centre and the elected Delhi government.The issue assumes significance as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government, which wields control over New Delhi through the Lieutenant Governor, have often bickered over the transfers and posting of bureaucrats and the issue of control over administrative services.The AAP government has been awaiting a clear verdict on the issue, as two judgments of the Supreme Court – of July 2018 and February 2019 – had not provided any clarity.Earlier this week, Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana agreed to list the matter after Diwali vacation when senior advocate Rahul Mehra, while appearing for the Delhi government, urged an early hearing.In his plea, Mehra had stated that two judges of the apex court, Justices Ashok Bhushan and A.K. Sikri, while delivering a judgment in the matter in February 2019, had held different opinions on the aspect of administrative control of officers in Delhi.Mehra also contended that “since the entire administrative control vests currently with the Union government, it is an important issue and impedes on the ability of the Delhi government to govern and implement its policy.”Also read: Centre’s Delhi Amendment Bill Is at Odds With Supreme Court’s Ruling and the ConstitutionBackstoryIn 2019, the Supreme Court’s two-judge bench had delivered a split verdict on the matter. While Justice Bhushan had held that the Delhi government has no power at all over administrative services, Justice Sikri had stated that the transfer or posting of officers of the rank of joint director and above can be done by the Union government while for other officers, the mandate of the Lieutenant Governor would prevail only in case of a difference of opinion.Both the judges had stated that since they could not agree on this point, a three-judge bench would decide on the issue of services.The judgment had evoked a strong response from AAP. Its senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh had tweeted that justice delayed is justice denied. He asked if the court has lost its dignity.क्या सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने अपनी सारी गरिमा समाप्त कर दी है? "न्याय में विलम्ब न्याय नही है" जज को जनता भगवान मानती है लेकिन भगवान भी इंसाफ़ करने में विफल है। https://t.co/7zsDADs00a— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) February 14, 2019AAP joint secretary Akshay Marathe too had expressed a similar opinion. “Two senior judges of the SC who were part of the Constitution Bench took an additional 5 months to hear the matter & 3 months to draft their judgments, but still could not come to a conclusion. By what moral authority are they telling rival political parties to work together?” he had tweeted on February 14, 2019.Two senior judges of the SC who were part of the Constitution Bench took an additional 5 months to hear the matter & 3 months to draft their judgments, but still could not come to a conclusion. By what moral authority are they telling rival political parties to work together?— Akshay Marathe (@AkshayMarathe) February 14, 2019However, the judgment was hailed by the BJP’s Delhi unit and then leader of the Opposition in the Delhi assembly, Vijender Gupta, had tweeted saying that the verdict had removed ambiguities in the powers of the Delhi government.“After this verdict there shouldn’t be any scope for confusion or conflict. The Delhi govt should humbly accept it & govern the capital as it was being done before they had come to power,” he had tweeted.We welcome the Supreme Court decision removing ambiguities in the powers of the Delhi govt. After this verdict there shouldn’t be any scope for confusion or conflict. The Delhi govt shpuld humbly accept it & govern the capital as it was being done before they had come to power.— Vijender Gupta (@Gupta_vijender) February 14, 2019Prior to the February 2019 verdict, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court had on July 4, 2018, laid down the broad contours of the relationship between the Union government and the elected government in Delhi. It ruled that the Lieutenant Governor did not have independent decision-making powers and the real power had to lie with the elected government.The bench had advised both parties to engage in “collaborative federalism”. It restricted the jurisdiction of the Lieutenant Governor to matters pertaining to land, police and public order. On all other matters, it held that the Lieutenant Governor would have to act on the aid and advice of the council of ministers.However, in 2018, the top court had not gone into the individual challenges, pertaining to the distribution of powers in separate areas, and left these matters to future adjudication.