Prioritise chief minister meetings, Delhi government tells officers

The October 7 communication reiterates earlier instructions requiring departments to forward important Centre-related correspondence and meeting outcomes.

The Delhi government has asked senior bureaucrats to prioritise meetings convened by chief minister Rekha Gupta and ensure that decisions and directions emerging from meetings with the central government and the lieutenant governor (L-G) are communicated to the chief minister’s office (CMO).

The latest directions come amid a long-running tussle in Delhi over administrative control, with the lieutenant governor holding overriding powers over the transfer and posting of bureaucrats. (Ishant Chauhan/ Hindustan Times)

In a communication dated October 7, the General Administration Department (GAD) said it observed that some senior officers were unable to attend meetings chaired by the chief minister. It also noted that decisions and directions arising from meetings convened by the Government of India or the L-G were not being communicated to the CMO.

“This department had already issued instructions in this regard vide its letter of even number dated 28.04.2026. However, the said instructions are not being adhered to. This has been viewed seriously by the Hon’ble chief minister,” said the two-page document, seen by HT.

HT’s queries to the CMO and L-G’s office did not elicit a response until the time of going to print.

Background to Delhi’s bureaucratic disputes

The development is reminiscent of the repeated disputes during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration’s tenure over the bureaucracy, the L-G’s powers and the elected government’s authority over administrative services. Between 2015 and 2025, then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also expressed his dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy and separation of powers with the L-G – who reports to the Union home ministry – but to no avail.

As a Union territory with an elected assembly, Delhi occupies a unique place. In 2023, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the Delhi government holds legislative and executive control over administrative services (transfers, postings, and vigilance), excluding public order, police, and land.

But weeks later, the central government passed an ordinance – later ratified by Parliament – expanding the L-G’s discretionary capacities and granting him overriding powers in deciding transfers and postings of bureaucrats.

Effectively, the control of bureaucrats serving in the Delhi government rests with Raj Niwas, not the CM. But the current developments assume importance because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) controls both offices.

Delhi government and bureaucracy friction (HT GFX)

Fresh directions to officers

The document by the GAD department reiterated instructions issued earlier on April 28, directing all departments, organisations and heads of autonomous bodies, boards, corporations and public sector undertakings under the Delhi government to ensure compliance.

Under the fresh directions, meetings convened at the CMO under the chief minister’s chairpersonship will be accorded priority, and the officers concerned will have to ensure their attendance, the communication said.

“In case of a clash with a later-scheduled meeting, the organisers concerned shall be requested to reschedule it, with advance intimation to the CMO. Where a clash with an earlier-scheduled meeting cannot be resolved, the matter shall be brought to the notice of the CMO in advance for appropriate directions,” the document said.

In the April 28 communication, the GAD also directed departments to forward copies of important references, communications and correspondence received from the Government of India concerning new programmes, schemes or matters having a bearing on subjects allocated under the Transaction of Business Rules, 1993, to the offices of the chief minister and the chief secretary.

“Similarly, whenever any reply or information is furnished by the department/organisation in response to such reference, a copy of the same shall also be endorsed to the office of Hon’ble chief minister and chief secretary, GNCTD,” said the document, seen by HT.

“In a similar fashion, whenever the officers attend any meeting in the Govt. of India where important decisions are taken or directions are issued, the deliberations of the meeting may be informed to the office of Hon’ble chief minister and chief secretary, GNCTD. The above instructions shall be complied with by all concerned,” it added.

The instructions were circulated to all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries and heads of departments, as well as heads of autonomous bodies, boards, corporations and public sector undertakings under the Delhi government.

“This is unheard of, especially at a time when there is a four-engine government in place. Such matters happened during the tenure of the AAP government but if it is happening at a time when the BJP is in power at the Centre and the state level, it cannot be explained,” said a former Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories cadre officer, requesting anonymity.

Earlier confrontations between government and bureaucracy

Friction between the political executive and the bureaucracy in Delhi is not new. The confrontation began soon after the AAP came to power in 2015. In May that year, the Union government issued a notification asserting the lieutenant governor’s authority over services, including the appointment and transfer of officers, and excluding these matters from the Delhi government’s jurisdiction.

The dispute intensified over the appointment of senior officials and the functioning of government departments. Among the early flashpoints were the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as acting chief secretary, which Kejriwal opposed, and the appointment of an officer to head the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), which then L–G Najeeb Jung contested.

In August 2016, the Delhi high court ruled that the L-G was the administrative head of the national capital. The Supreme Court, in its July 2018 judgment, subsequently clarified that the L-G could not act independently of the elected government on matters outside the three reserved subjects of public order, police and land, and was generally bound by the aid and advice of the council of ministers.

In February 2018, then chief secretary Anshu Prakash alleged that he was assaulted by AAP lawmakers during a late-night meeting at Kejriwal’s residence. The AAP disputed the allegations and accused the bureaucracy of obstructing the elected government’s work. The episode triggered a prolonged confrontation, with senior officers protesting and government-bureaucracy interactions coming under severe strain. The Delhi Police later filed a chargesheet in the case, naming Kejriwal, then deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and several AAP lawmakers.

Other points of contention included the LG’s objections to government decisions, the handling of files and administrative orders, and disagreements over the appointment and transfer of officials.

In June 2018, then Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention to end the IAS officers’ strike, claiming that Lt Governor Anil Baijal was doing “nothing” to break the impasse. Kejriwal had even held a nine-day sit-in with his ministers at Baijal’s office, demanding that the L-G direct the IAS officers to end their “strike”.

In 2021, Kejriwal had written on X, asking the then L-G Anil Baijal to avoid holding parallel meetings with officers. Baijal had convened a review meeting regarding the Covid-19 situation in Delhi, following which Kejriwal had said that the L-G holding parallel meetings without informing the state government is “against the Constitution”.

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