New Delhi: The Delhi government and the lieutenant governor locked horns on Friday over the Supreme Court verdict on services matters, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging a “conspiracy” to overturn the ruling and LG V K Saxena accusing the AAP dispensation of disregarding rules and procedure.
Amid the escalating row over the transfer of Services Secretary Ashish More, Kejriwal and his ministers met the lieutenant governor separately Friday evening.
After his meeting with Saxena, the chief minister said the transfer of the services secretary is necessary to carry out further administrative changes.
“There is widespread talk of the Centre bringing an ordinance to overturn the SC verdict. I hope that these are complete rumours and there is no truth in them. It will be a great betrayal against the people of Delhi and the country if this happens. Everyone should respect the verdict of the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court,” he told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal in a tweet questioned why the LG was “not obeying” the SC order.
“Why is LG sir not obeying the SC order? Why hasn’t the file pertaining to the Services Secretary been signed for two days? It is being said that the Centre is going to reverse the SC order by bringing an ordinance next week?
“Is the Centre conspiring to overturn the SC order? Is LG sir waiting for the ordinance and that’s why he is not signing the file?” Kejriwal asked in a tweet in Hindi.
Before his meeting, Kejriwal’s five ministers also met Saxena to request him to follow the apex court order that gives the AAP government control over the bureaucracy.
After the meeting, Education minister Atishi said that the LG has assured them of signing the file on the transfer of the services secretary, saying that he will respect the SC verdict.
She claimed that the five ministers had to wait for one-and-a-half hours outside the LG office to meet Saxena. The LG office said that the ministers reached there without any prior appointment.
The LG wrote to Kejriwal alleging “unconstitutional brazenness, intimidation and disregard of rules and procedures” by the AAP government following the Supreme Court verdict on services matters.
In the letter, Saxena alleged that in the past one week, a “gloomy face of governance” emerged in Delhi where “organised, structured and specialised administrative machinery” is yet again facing the “brunt” of “highhandedness” of the political executive.
“I write to you to bring to your notice the unconstitutional brazenness, intimidation and disregard of rules and procedures being indulged into by your government and its ministers, especially…(Services) Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, ever since the Constitution Bench judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 11.05.2023,” Saxena’s letter read.
Replying to Saxena’s letter, Chief Minister Kejriwal said he was “shocked” by its language and the issues raised through it, and added it smacked of “bickering”.
Earlier in the day, Bharadwaj requested Saxena to clear the file related to the transfer of Services Secretary More, saying several administrative changes were held up due to the delay.
More was transferred hours after the Supreme Court order on May 11 gave executive control to the AAP government over services matters — including transfer and posting of officers — barring those related to police, land and public order.
Bharadwaj also asked whether the LG and the Centre were “conspiring” to reverse the verdict by bringing in an ordinance.
During the day, the services minister said he requested all his cabinet colleagues to join him for a meeting with Saxena to request him to clear the file pertaining to the transfer of Services Secretary More.
Meanwhile, More, who was removed by the Kejriwal government, complained to the chief secretary, accusing Bharadwaj of having “personal vengeance” against him, and threatening “to ruin his life”.
In an incident report, More alleged that the minister threatened him saying, “I will ruin your life. I am a resident of Chirag Dilli” and asked for security in view of the “serious threat”. Bharadwaj, the MLA from Greater Kailash, resides in Chirag Delhi.
In his letter to Kejriwal, the LG cited alleged misbehaviour of his minister with More. In his press conference during the day, Bharadwaj said that after the SC verdict, the services secretary was directed to be transferred and the file for it was sent to the LG on May 17.
Atishi alleged “threats” from the LG office were being issued to the officers to “disobey” the elected AAP government telling them that an ordinance was coming on Monday.
Earlier, the transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor.
Urging Saxena to clear the file soon, Bharadwaj said, “We had sent a proposal to change the Secretary (Services) two days back.”
The elected government of Delhi wishes to make several administrative changes, for which replacing the services secretary is important. A lot of work is held up due to the delay in clearance, he said.
The constitution bench of the Supreme Court has said in its two judgements that the LG should exercise the power of difference of opinion in the rarest of rare cases, the minister said.
The change of secretary (services) is a “very routine matter and not a fit case for exercise of difference of opinion,” he said.
The services minister had transferred More from the post of services secretary and directed for the appointment of A K Singh to the post.
The transfer of More was later cleared the Civil Services Board (CSB) in a meeting on Wednesday last and the file was sent for the LG’s nod the same day, officials in the government said.
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