Deadlock between bureaucrats, Kejriwal broken; HC observes

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday said there is no urgency in the pleas against the recent sit-in dharna by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the alleged strike by IAS officers as the "deadlock" between them has been broken.

"Deadlock is broken. There is no urgency," a bench of justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla said and asked the petitioners whether they wanted to withdraw their respective petitions. 

The petitioners, also including Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta, said they wanted to pursue the respective issues raised by them and the court, thereafter, listed all the matters for hearing on August 3. 

There are two petitions, one of them by the BJP leader, against the recent sit-in hunger strike by Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues -- Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyender Jain -- at the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal. 

The other plea against Kejriwal's strike was moved by a lawyer, Hari Nath Ram, who also moved the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court declined to pass an interim order on June 18. The apex court is likely to hear the matter in July. 

Kejriwal and his ministers began a hunger strike on June 11 evening to press for their demands, including a direction to IAS officers to end their "strike" and action against those who have struck work. 

It was called off a day after the high court on June 18 had virtually disapproved of the protest by questioning who had authorised it. The court had also observed that strikes or dharnas are held outside and not inside someone's workplace or residence. 

Apart from the pleas against Kejriwal's protest, two separate petitions have been moved by lawyers Umesh Gupta and Prashant Manchanda against the non-attending of meetings by IAS officers of Delhi government. 

Manchanda, whose plea was filed two days ago, has alleged "breakdown of the administrative machinery" due to non-attending of meetings by bureaucrats