Kejriwal objects to transferring officials in Delhi’s education dept

A Delhi government official said the CM has halted the proposal for appointment of officials due to ongoing cases

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, chairing a National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA) on Thursday, disagreed with a proposal to appoint some officials in the education department, citing ongoing vigilance cases against them, officials aware of the matter said. They said Kejriwal also objected to transferring some officials out of the education department.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also approved the requests of some female officers, who had demanded a transfer from the post of sub-registrar on personal or humanitarian grounds. (ANI)

The NCCSA, which is empowered to take decisions regarding the transfer and posting of officers, also has the Delhi chief secretary and the principal secretary (home) as its members. The body takes decisions by consensus, and the two bureaucrats, who are appointed by the Centre, can agree to pass a proposal even if the CM is opposed to it, officials said.

A Delhi government official privy to the developments in the closed-door NCCSA meeting said, “The CM has halted the proposal for the appointment of some officials in the education department due to ongoing cases of vigilance against them. There was a proposal to remove some competent officers from the education department, which the CM objected to and stopped the proposal.”

Kejriwal also approved the requests of some female officers, who had demanded a transfer from the post of sub-registrar on personal or humanitarian grounds. “The Delhi LG is still sitting on the minutes of the first meeting and has not processed the file,” the official quoted above said.

However, NCCSA did not consider a proposal to appoint several Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers who were recently shifted to Delhi and are awaiting posting.

The LG office did not comment on the matter.

HT reached out to chief secretary Naresh Kumar and principal secretary home Ashwini Kumar, but both declined to comment on Thursday’s proceedings.

The NCCSA’s Thursday meeting — the second the body has met — was originally scheduled to be held on June 28, but was postponed because Naresh Kumar had a prior engagement.

On May 19, the President promulgated the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance 2023 which nullified a May 11 Supreme Court order that reinforced the authority of the Delhi government in controlling bureaucrats in all but three domains — land, police, and public order. The ordinance had provisions for NCCSA. The ordinance gave the LG, an official appointed by the Union government, the final say on transfers and postings of bureaucrats in Delhi and created a new cadre for the national capital.

Since the promulgation of the ordinance, Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have slammed the Union government and said it has rendered the elected government redundant.