The Delhi Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on July 2 said that the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA), formed by the Union government’s May 19 Ordinance, has been reduced to a “complete farce” with bureaucrats “dictating” their own will and overturning the CM’s decisions.
“During the second meeting of NCCSA, CM Arvind Kejriwal had given several directions regarding pending transfer-posting proposals, all of which have been overruled,” the CMO said in a statement.
On June 29, at the second meeting of the authority, Mr. Kejriwal halted the proposal for the appointment of some officials in the Education Department due to ongoing cases of vigilance against them, according to sources at the CMO. “Also, there was a proposal to remove some competent officers from the Education Department, which the Chief Minister also objected to and stopped the proposal,” a source said.
On May 19, the Centre issued an Ordinance that seeks to amend the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi Act, 1991, which effectively negates the May 11 Supreme Court judgment that gave the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government the power to make laws and wield control over bureaucrats deputed to the Delhi government.
‘A conspiracy’
The Ordinance formed a “permanent” NCCSA with the Chief Minister as chairperson, and the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary (Home) as member and member secretary, respectively. The first meeting of the authority was on June 20 and after the meeting, Mr. Kejriwal termed it a “futile exercise” and alleged that the authority was created as part of a “conspiracy” to control the national capital by stealth and that the Delhi government would challenge it in the Supreme Court.
“Notably, both the bureaucrats did not oppose the CM’s stand during the actual meeting. However, regrettably, when finalising the minutes of the meeting, the Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) callously overturned all of the Chief Minister’s decisions, proceeding with their own agenda instead,” the CMO statement read.
The Delhi government on Friday urged the Supreme Court to quash the Ordinance, which reduces the Chief Minister to a “minority voice” in the capital’s administration. The petition before the top court also challenges provisions in the Ordinance which mandates the formation of the NCCSA.
Responding to the AAP’s claims, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the CM wanted the entire administrative system to run as per his dictate. “He wants to run the administration on his whims and runs the only government in the country that steals files from officers’ chambers after midnight,” Mr. Sachdeva said.
Meanwhile, the L-G Secretariat in a statement said that there was no proposal to transfer any officer from the Education Department. Only those officers who are not working in the department but merely drawing salaries without their physical presence, are proposed for transfer so as to facilitate for draw of salary from a proper salary head, it added. The statement said the NCCSA will release the draft minutes to the press to publicly verify the truth.
