The Supreme Court on Friday (04.08.2023) appointed former Delhi High Court judge, Justice Jayant Nath, as the Interim Chairperson of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). The decision was passed by a bench led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, along with Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the Delhi Government, conveyed to the court that the selection of a candidate for the post could be determined by the apex court.
The apex court had previously indicated on July 20 that it would designate a temporary DERC chairperson on an ad-hoc basis while deliberating on the Delhi government’s plea challenging the lieutenant governor’s power to make such appointments. Expressing concern over the “headless” state of the institution, the court aimed to resolve the deadlock between the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) V K Saxena regarding the appointment.
To address the situation, the Supreme Court took the initiative to appoint an individual on a “pro tem basis” to fulfill the role until a definitive decision is reached.
