Delhi: Appointment of 190+ AAP picks cancelled

The order, dated April 4 and seen by HT, notes that nominations to at least 22 institutions have been annulled

The Delhi government has cancelled at least 194 nominated appointments made by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration to various government departments, boards, committees, and academies, according to an order issued by the services department.

A senior government official, who requested anonymity, said most of these were political appointments — routinely overturned after a change in government. (PTI)

The order, dated April 4 and seen by HT, notes that nominations to at least 22 institutions have been annulled. These include the Delhi Jal Board, Animal Welfare Board, Delhi Haj Committee, Pilgrimage Development Committee, Urs Committee, Hindi Academy, Urdu Academy, Sahitya Kala Parishad, Punjabi Academy, and Sanskrit Academy, among others.

A senior government official, who requested anonymity, said most of these were political appointments — routinely overturned after a change in government.

“People in these positions — both elected MLAs and subject experts — help the new government to implement the vision and policies of the incoming administration. All past governments have appointed people on these boards and institutions as per their preferences. Some these positions are meant to be subject experts like in the case of Animal Welfare board or the tree authority, but several posts are meant to be occupied by politicians. For instance, the DJB VC and DAMB chairperson are MLAs. Once a government loses power, many of these appointments also become redundant,” said the official,

“The competent authority is pleased to terminate the terms of the nominated non official office bearers and members of the non-statutory and statutory bodies, authorities, boards, committees and academies as per the names mentioned with immediate effect. Further, all the departments of the GNCTD are directed by the competent authority to carry out similar exercise in respect of the authorities or bodes under their administrative control,” the order dated April 4 by deputy secretary (services) Bhairab Dutt states.

The Delhi state Haj committee, the Tirath Yatra Vikas committee, and the Urs Committee fall under the revenue department, a senior government official, who asked not to be named, said. The appointments of former MLAs Abdul Rehman and Haji Yunus, who were part of the Had pane, were cancelled.

The list also includes former legislator Vinay Mishra who was vice chairman of the Delhi Jal Board, and AAP leader Jitendra Tomar’s wife, Preeti Tomar, as member and MLA Ajay Dutt (member).

“Gopal Rai, the then development minister, was the chairperson of the Delhi Agriculture Marketing Board, while Gulab Singh was the VC of Delhi village development board,” the list adds. The political appointees also include Sanjeev Jha who was the vice-chairperson of the Maithili Bhojpuri academy.

Even environment-linked institutions such as the Delhi Biodiversity Council and the steering committee for the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) saw political appointees removed.

Another official said that appointments to all these institutions were mostly political appointments made by the previous government, which were made to benefit their leaders.