Ordinance row: LG office flags ‘harassment’ of govt officials

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, too, said he Centre had to bring an ordinance because the Delhi government began ‘flexing its muscles.’

Officials in the Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) office have flagged that several officers working with the Delhi government are facing “harassment” by the Delhi government, including chief secretary Naresh Kumar, former services secretary Ashish More, Anti-Corruption Branch chief Madhur Verma, power secretary Shurbir Singh and also the family members of some of them who stay in Punjab.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal during the Armed Forces Flag Day 2022 at Raj Bhawan in New Delhi. (ANI)

The claims came in the wake of the Aam Aadmi Party government’s run-in with at least two senior officials -- special vigilance secretary YVVJ Rajsekhar and former services secretary Ashish More -- soon after the May 11 Supreme Court verdict that gave control over transfer postings of bureaucrats to the Delhi government. However, the Centre promulgated an ordinance on Friday night, effectively negating the SC ruling and giving back the control to the Centre-appointed lieutenant governor.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also alleged that the Delhi government had begun “flexing its muscles” after the SC’s services ruling.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Centre had to bring an ordinance because within a few days of the Supreme Court judgement, the Delhi government began flexing its muscles. “It transferred 2010 batch IAS officer Y K Rajashekhar, who was probing the irregularities in the Sheesh Mahal,” he said while referring to the expenditure on renovations at the Delhi CM’s official residence.

Delhi services minister Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted that the Narendra Modi government is bent on finishing all constitutional institutions.

Officials in the LG office said that Bharadwaj chief secretary Naresh Kumar to his chamber in the Delhi Secretariat on May 16 after office hours to schedule a meeting of Civil Services Board that night. “Due to repeated calls from the minister, chief secretary reached the secretariat and met him. Kumar informed the minister that the CSB met on May 16 morning regarding his directions for change in procedure to be followed by the CSB, and that CSB’s recommendations were pending with the minister,” the officials said.

HT reached out to Kumar but he did not comment on the matter. A Delhi government spokesperson did not comment on the matter.

Then, in a complaint to the chief secretary and the Union home ministry on May 16, More alleged that Bharadwaj intimidated him, and detained him along with another official in his office over putting up some files. HT has seen a copy of the complaint that the IAS officer had marked to LG’s office.

Bharadwaj has rejected his allegations. “What could we have done even if he alleged that I physically assaulted him,” he said.

The officials in the LG office also said that Delhi’s power secretary Shurbir Singh was “cowed down” by misusing Punjab Police under the state’s AAP government to hound Singh’s family members.

HT has not seen any complaint lodged by the officer, and could not verify the claims made against the AAP government in Punjab.

The officer did not respond to HT’s calls seeking a comment.