The Government of Delhi, officially the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) is the governing body of the
Union Territory of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, whose urban area is the seat of the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
. It also governs the city or local governments in the area as per the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act.
Union Territories are governed by the Union Government. There are a few exceptions, such as Delhi and Puducherry which also have their own elected governments with some limitations.
Through the highly controversial
GNCTD Amendment Act, 2021 The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021 (or the GNCTD Amendment Act)
was enacted by the Government of India on 28 March 2021.
It amends the ''Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991'' to give p ...
, the Union Government mandated primacy to the centrally appointed
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
and made the elected government subsidiary.
Local governments
The local or city government is headed by the mayor. The
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is the municipal corporation that governs most of Delhi, India. The MCD is among the largest municipal bodies in the world providing civic services to an estimated population of more than 11 million citiz ...
handled civic administration for the city, and had one mayor.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated into three bodies, the
North Delhi Municipal Corporation
North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) was one of the municipal corporations in Delhi, India created after the former Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012. It occupied an area of which was further divided into 6 Zones (Ro ...
, the
South Delhi Municipal Corporation
South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) was one of the municipal corporations in Delhi, India created after the former Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012. It occupied an area of which was further divided into 4 Zones (Cen ...
and the
East Delhi Municipal Corporation
East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) was one of the municipal corporations in Delhi, India created after the former Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated in 2012. It occupied an area of which was further divided into 2 Zones (Sha ...
in 2012.
But then, they were reunified on 22 May 2022.
The
Delhi Cantonment Board is also a municipality that has jurisdiction in the city, since
cantonment boards are municipalities as per the Cantonment Board Act 2006 and are under control of the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
.
Government of NCT of Delhi
The Chief Minister and lieutenant Governor are the heads of the Government. The government consists of the legislative wing, i.e. the present
Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Delhi Legislative Assembly, also known as the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, is a unicameral legislature of the union territory of Delhi in India. Delhi Legislative Assembly is the legislative arm of the Government of Delhi. At present, it consists o ...
, which is
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...
, consisting of 70
members of the legislative assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...
.
History
The
Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Delhi Legislative Assembly, also known as the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, is a unicameral legislature of the union territory of Delhi in India. Delhi Legislative Assembly is the legislative arm of the Government of Delhi. At present, it consists o ...
was first constituted on 17 March 1952 under the Government of Part C States Act, 1951, but it was abolished on 1 October 1956. Its legislative assembly was re-established in the year of 1993, after the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 came into force, followed by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 2021 the Sixty-ninth Amendment to the
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India (IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ri ...
, declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
.
The first chief minister of Delhi was Ch. Braham Prakash (INC) and the first woman CM was
Sushma Swaraj
Sushma Swaraj () (''née'' Sharma; 14 February 1952 – 6 August 2019) was an Indian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the Minister of External Affairs of India in the first Narendra Modi government from 2014 to 2019. She is only ...
of BJP.
Sheila Dikshit
Sheila Dikshit () (née Kapoor; 31 March 1938 – 20 July 2019) was an Indian politician. The longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi, as well as the longest-serving female chief minister of any Indian state, she served for a period of 15 ye ...
(INC) has been the chief minister for the maximum times (three) and oversaw immense development of the city during her tenure.
Guru Radha Kishan (CPI) had the rare distinction of representing his constituency in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for most years continuously by an individual and
Ch. Prem Singh (INC) has won the maximum elections for different civic bodies in Delhi.
Ministers
As per article 239AA of
Indian Constitution
The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental r ...
, the number of ministers cannot exceed ten percent of Delhi assembly seats. Therefore, there can be a maximum of seven m Ministers (10% of 70 Delhi assembly seats).
Central government
The
Lieutenant Governor of Delhi
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is the constitutional head of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The post was first established in September 1966, when The Delhi Administration Act, 1966 came into effect. Thus the former Delhi Legislativ ...
is appointed by the
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
.,
as agent of President and head of state like governor, on the advice of the Central government. This state government is called the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Government of NCT of Delhi or simply Government of Delhi). It consists of an
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
, led by the
Lieutenant Governor of Delhi
The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi is the constitutional head of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The post was first established in September 1966, when The Delhi Administration Act, 1966 came into effect. Thus the former Delhi Legislativ ...
, a
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
and a
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
.
Central versus State
The
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
in ''
Government of NCT of Delhi v. Union of India'' ruled that according to the Article 239AA of the
Indian constitution
The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental r ...
, that although the government had to keep him/her informed of its decisions, Delhi's lieutenant governor did not have any independent decision-making powers and had to follow the "aid and advice" of the
chief minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
-led council of ministers of the Government of Delhi on matters which the
Delhi Legislative Assembly
The Delhi Legislative Assembly, also known as the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, is a unicameral legislature of the union territory of Delhi in India. Delhi Legislative Assembly is the legislative arm of the Government of Delhi. At present, it consists o ...
could legislate on, viz., all items on the
State List
The State List or List-II is a list of 61 items. Initially there were 66 items in the list in Schedule Seven to the Constitution of India. The legislative section is divided into three lists: the Union List, the State List and the Concurrent List ...
(items on which only state legislatures can legislate) and the
Concurrent List (items on which both the
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the R ...
and the state legislatures can legislate) barring 'police, 'public order' and 'land'.
The court added that on matters referred to him/her, the LG was bound to follow the orders of the president.
Judiciary
The
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi (IAST: ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966'', with four judges, Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. ...
has jurisdiction over Delhi, which also has two types of lower courts: the
Small Causes Court
In Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cities, the Small Causes Court is responsible for adjudicating matters related to civil cases. The court is responsible for cases relating to tax, (family matters are not dealt by small causes court), property ...
for civil cases, and the
Sessions Court
A Sessions Court or even known as the Court of Sessions Judge is a court of law which exists in several Commonwealth countries. A Court of Session is the highest criminal court in a district and the court of first instance for trying serious offe ...
for criminal cases. Like other Union territories, the
Delhi Police
The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). Delhi Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. In 2015, sanctioned strength of Delhi ...
reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and not the government of NCT of Delhi. Headed by the
Police Commissioner, it is one of the largest metropolitan police forces in the world.
The headquarters of Delhi Police are located Jai Singh Marg,
Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place, officially known as Rajiv Chowk, is one of the main financial, commercial and business centres in New Delhi, Delhi, India. It houses the headquarters of several noted Indian firms and is a major shopping, nightlife and tourist ...
.
See also
*
First Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The First Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted in Nov 1993 after the ''Council of Minister'' was replaced by the Delhi Legislative Assembly through the Constitution Act 1991 and by the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Ac ...
*
Second Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Second Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted in 1998 after Delhi Legislative Assembly election on 25 November 1998.
Election and government formation
Total seven national parties, eighteen state parties, fifty-five registered (unr ...
*
Third Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Third Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted in 2003 after 2003 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, Delhi Legislative Assembly election held on 1 December 2003.
Election and Government formation
Total six national parties, twelve s ...
*
Fourth Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Fourth Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted in October 2008 after the 2008 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections.
Election and government formation
In all, 7 national parties, 8 state parties, 53 registered (unrecognised) parties ...
*
Fifth Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Fifth Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted on 28 December 2013 after the Delhi Legislative Assembly elections on 4 December 2013.
Election and Government formation
Total six national parties, eleven state parties, sixty register ...
*
Sixth Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Sixth Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted on 14th Feb 2015 after the 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were concluded earlier that month. Second Kejriwal ministry was the cabinet during the term of 6th Delhi Assembly.
His ...
*
Seventh Legislative Assembly of Delhi
The Seventh Legislative Assembly of Delhi was constituted on 16 February 2020 after the 2020 Delhi Legislative Assembly elections were concluded earlier on 8 February 2020 and the results were announced on 11 February 2020. It is the legislativ ...
References
External links
*
{{Delhi
Government of Delhi