NEW DELHI: The J&K LG will, prima facie, have the same powers as the Delhi LG , and also control prisons, which come under the state govt in Delhi. Observers are not ruling out recurrent strain in working ties between the LG and the elected govt — a common occurrence in Delhi — over several issues. Perhaps the first indication that the Centre was ready for assembly polls in Jammu & Kashmir came when it amended the Transaction of Business of the Govt of Union Territory of J&K on July 12, 2024, to make it mandatory for all decisions relating to postings and transfers of secretary-level officers, appointment of law officers, grant or refusal of prosecution sanction and prison-related matters, to be put up to the lieutenant governor (LG) for approval, through the chief secretary.
The amendments — which the Centre had said it was authorised to notify as per provisions of the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 — enhance LG’s powers by making his approval necessary for postings and transfers of secretaries of all J&K administrative departments and cadre-post officers. While this is a signifi-cant power as the LG can decide the heads of various J&K departments, a source said the transfers and postings of the subordinate staff, which total nearly five lakh, will continue to be in the hands of the J&K govt. The J&K LG will, prima facie, have the same powers as the Delhi LG, in that he shall have the final word on matters relating to J&K police, including its various wings like CID,.
