New Delhi, Aug. 19 -- The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Delhi government to withdraw its petition accusing the lieutenant governor (LG) of delaying the appointment of a full-time chairperson and members to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). While permitting the withdrawal, a bench of Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and justice K Vinod Chandran recorded the assurance of additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Delhi government, that the vacancies would be filled "expeditiously." "The learned ASG seeks to withdraw the petition. Till the regular appointments are made, ASG states that pro tem members and other ad hoc arrangements will continue. ASG Bhati further assures the court that the exercise will be completed expeditiously," the bench noted. The petition, filed in October 2023 by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, was among several pleas over control of services and appointments in the capital. The issue reached the apex court last year after disagreements between the elected government and the LG stalled the appointment of a DERC chairperson. In August 2023, the court nominated a former Delhi HC judge as an ad hoc chairperson, and in November constituted a three-member panel of retired judges to suggest names for two ad hoc members. Despite these measures, the regulator has remained under strain. Justice (retd) Umesh Kumar, appointed in March this year, retired last month, leaving DERC again without a regular head. At present, it is being run by two pro tem members appointed under court directions. Earlier in August, the SC directed recovery of regulatory assets and carrying costs worth Rs.27,200 crore by the city's three private discoms - BSES Yamuna Power Ltd (BYPL), BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL), and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) - over the next three years. Following the order, Reliance Infrastructure said BYPL and BRPL would recover Rs.21,413 crore from consumers in four years. Regulatory assets, representing deferred revenue gaps, are eventually recovered from consumers. DERC, as the tariff-setting body, faces mounting liabilities of Rs.12,993.53 crore for BRPL, Rs.8,419.14 crore for BYPL, and Rs.5,787.7 crore for TPDDL as of March 31, 2024....