Delhi assembly reinstates fellows

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, also directed the fellows to report to deputy secretary, DARC, for further deployment

The Delhi assembly has reinstated all the 116 Delhi Assembly Research Centre ((DARC) fellows, who were sacked by lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena in July, days after an interim order passed by the Delhi high court.

The fellows at the Delhi assembly were sacked over allegations of irregularities in their appointments. They were reinstated after a Delhi high court order. (HT Photo)

However, the services department on Wednesday moved the high court seeking vacation of the September 21 order which directed that the services of 17 fellows, who had filed a plea against their sacking, be continued till December 6.

“………the Speaker, in view of the court cases, has vide his order dated 26.09.2023 directed that in view of the decisions of the Supreme Court and Article 14 of the Constitution of India, and to avoid burdening the court with unnecessary litigation, I hereby reinstate the fellows, associate fellows and associate fellows (media) who are affected by the order dated 09.08.2023, and further direct that due stipends be paid to them. This would be subject to further orders of the high court,” stated a September 26 order issued by the Delhi Assembly secretariat.

The order, approved by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, also directed the fellows to report to deputy secretary, DARC, for further deployment.

Meanwhile, the court said that it will pass an order on October 3 on whether to modify its interim direction for continuation of services of the 116 professionals. Justice Subramonium Prasad said, “List for order on October 3. Let me think over it”.

HT reported on September 22 that the judge had, on a petition by several terminated fellows, directed that their services with DARC shall continue till December 6 and stipends paid to them. The court had also sought responses from the state assembly and Delhi’s services and finance departments.

The respondent authorities on Wednesday argued the order cannot be sustained in view of the absence of sanction for the posts by the lieutenant governor and the pendency of the issue regarding control of services before the Supreme Court.

The services of the 116 Assembly fellows, including the petitioners, were discontinued after the LG on July 5 sacked 400 “specialists” engaged across 23 departments by the Delhi government citing the “non-transparent manner” in which they were appointed. The AAP dispensation had hit back at the LG and said the fellowships were created after obtaining the requisite administrative approvals from the state cabinet as well as the departments of law and finance, and by the lieutenant governors at the time.

DARC was constituted in 2018 to create a repository of valuable research and reference material for use of the lawmakers and other stakeholders, and to provide quality research and reference material to the Legislators on demand. The fellows and associate fellows are the key manpower of the DARC.