Puducherry: Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Thursday said the Supreme Court verdict has made it clear the NCT of Delhi and the southern union territory stood on a different footing, a day after Chief Minister V Naranayansamy asserted the order was applicable to the former French colony too.
As she tagged excerpts of the apex court order related to this aspect in social media, Narayanasamy accused her of sending 'wrong information' to officials and the media and stuck to his stand that the verdict on powers of Lt Governor of Delhi was applicable to Puducherry also.
The differing stands of Bedi and Narayanasamy on the apex court order indicated that the ongoing confrontation between them on their respective powers is unlikely to end soon.
The Congress government headed by Narayanasamy has been accusing Bedi of infringing on its powers and obstructing the functioning of the elected government, a charge denied by her.
The Supreme Court had on Wednesday clarified that Puducherry cannot be compared with the case of Delhi as it is governed by a provision which is different from that concerning the national capital.
It had said that Puducherry was covered under Article 239A whereas NCT of Delhi is covered under Article 239AA.
The court made the mention about Puducherry while clipping the powers of the Delhi Lt Governor saying he was bound by the elected government's advice and cannot be an "obstructionist".
The verdict prompted a demand for its replication in Puducherry, with Narayanasamy yesterday warning he would launch legal proceedings if the verdict was violated.
Bedi in a tweet today tagged the portion of the court order which mentioned about Puducherry.
"These are the words of Honble Supreme Court in Govt of NCT of Delhi vs Union of India and Another. Honurable Court has made a clear distinction between the two. Delhi as a UT and Puducherry as a UT," the former IPS officer said.
Replying to questions from reporters at an event in Chennai, Bedi read out the portion, but declined to say anything more. Narayanasamy, whose government is locked in a running battle with Bedi on various issues in the past two years, hurriedly convened a press conference to rebutt the Lt Governor's assertion.
He maintained that the apex court order on the powers of the elected government vis-a-vis the Lt Governor in a case filed by the Delhi Chief Minister is totally applicable for Puducherry also.