DERC chairman not administered oath by 10 am on Tuesday, as directed by LG

New Delhi: Newly-appointed DERC Chairman Justice (retired) Umesh Kumar could not be administered the oath of office by Delhi Power Minister Atishi till 10 am on Tuesday, as directed by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena in his letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a day before, officials said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has challenged Justice Kumar's appointment in the Supreme Court, which is likely to hear the case later in the day.

In his letter to Kejriwal, the LG said Kumar, a former Allahabad High Court judge, was available for the oath ceremony only till 10 am on Tuesday.

The LG directed that either the power minister would administer the oath of office and secrecy to Kumar virtually through a video-conference or video call or the chief minister or any of his ministers would complete the formalities or the chief secretary may be asked to perform the task.

Atishi was scheduled to administer the oath of office to Justice Kumar on Monday, but she suddenly faced a "health issue", leading to the event being postponed to July 6, officials had said.

Kumar was appointed as the chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) on June 21.

The appointment of the DERC chairman is the latest flashpoint between the Delhi government and the LG's office, following the Centre's ordinance on control of services. The AAP has challenged the ordinance in the Supreme Court.