Puducherry Nov 19 (PTI) Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi Monday asked Chief Minister V Narayanasamy to withdraw his 'standing order' cancelling a circular of the Finance Secretary on expenditure management, saying it was not in conformity with the Union Territories Act.

A day after the order was issued, Bedi in a press statement here said the circular of the Finance Secretary was well within the four corners of the statutory rules and cannot, therefore, be overridden by a standing order of the Chief Minister.

The circular issued in August had restricted delegation of the financial powers to subordinate authorities to contingent and miscellaneous expenditures only.

Apparrently irked by the order, Narayanasamy had Sunday issued the standing order, describing the restriction as "mischievous and grossly illegal and saying it was issued 'without approval of the Chief Minister who is in-charge of the Finance portfolio.'

He had termedthe circular as 'null and void'.

Bedi, who has been at loggerheads with the Congress government over various issues, said the standing order was 'not in conformity with the Government of Union Territories Act 1963 and the rules governing regulation of finances of the administration'.

Also, she said the Finance Secretary has clarified that the standing order cannot be implemented.

The Lt Governor further said the rules and orders of the Central government regulating financial procedures were applicable to departments and offices of the Puducherry government.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)