LG Secretariat rebuts 'overturning CM's decision' charges on Delhi officers

The National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA), set up by the Centre through an ordinance, has been reduced to a "complete farce" as bureaucrats are "overturning" Delhi chief minister's decisions and "dictating" their own will, the CMO said on Sunday.

The statement by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) came two days after the second meeting of the NCCSA during which two member-bureaucrats "did not oppose" Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's stand but later on cancelled his decisions.

However, LG Secretariat rejected the CMO's claims and said their statement is not giving "true picture" of developments that took place in the civil services authority's meeting.

 

"A narrative is being projected that officers are not listening and need absolute control. NCCSA shall release the draft minutes to the press to verify the truth in public domain," the LG Secretariat said.

The three-member NCCSA was set up by the Centre through the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated on May 19 to create an authority for transfer and posting of Group-A officers in Delhi.

It comprises the chief minister as chairperson, with the chief secretary and principal secretary (home) as members. It was bestowed with powers to take decisions by a simple majority.

"However, this simple majority has enabled the bureaucrats to override the CM's decisions, effectively granting them unchecked power over the authority's operations. Consequently, the Chief Minister's voice, representing the will of the elected government and the people of Delhi, finds itself in the minority within the NCCSA," the CMO said in the statement.

During the June 29 meeting, Kejriwal expressed concerns over pending transfer-posting proposals and issued directives for request transfers of women officers. He also recorded objections to the removal of "competent officers" from the Education Department, the statement said.

Eleven women officers had requested for transfers on sympathetic grounds, it said, adding the chief minister supported it, noting that working women handle both office and home, and therefore their pleas must be considered favourably.

The statement claimed the two bureaucrats did not oppose the CM's stand during the meeting. "However, regrettably, when finalizing 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."

As a result, the 11 women officers have been denied transfers despite compelling reasons, and competent officers are being removed from the Education Department, jeopardising the progress made thus far, the CMO statement noted.

"The National Capital Civil Services Authority has been reduced to a complete farce with bureaucrats dictating their own will and overturning CM's decisions," the statement said, alleging a "carefully orchestrated" plan to undermine Delhi's education revolution and impede the elected government's achievements.

It is functioning under the stated chairpersonship of the chief minister even though none of the decisions made by it align with the CM's endorsement, the statement said.

"In the same meeting, the Chief Minister proposed that the posting requests made by Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Raaj Kumar Anand be recommended by the Authority. However, the bureaucrats again took advantage of their majority and refused to entertain the matter in the meeting," the CMO statement said.

Rebutting the charges, the LG Secretariat said the request of women officers for transfer from sub-registrar was not part of the agenda and it was agreed in principle that it will be brought in the next agenda.

"In the current agenda, one woman SR was proposed for change as the agenda contained the name of only one woman officer who has been adjusted against one existing SR. Hon'ble CM wanted two officers to be posted in ministers' office and one of them is having a penalty from vigilance angle. Hon'ble CM office informed (verbally) that this detail should not be mentioned in the minutes," the Secretariat said.

The LG Secretariat also shared the agenda items that were on the list --transfer/posting of Officers in Grade-I (DASS), transfer/posting of Forest Service Officials (IFS) and setting up of High Powered Committee for capacity building.

"As for the agenda regarding transfer of IFS officers, Hon'ble Chief Minister kept the file for recording his views. The agenda regarding capacity building of officers was not discussed," it said.

Following the meeting on June 29, the government officials had said there was a proposal to remove some competent officers from the Education Department, which the chief minister also objected to and stopped, an official said.

However, the CMO on Sunday said that the overturning of CM's decisions by the bureaucrats means competent officers are being removed from the Education Department.

The LG Secretariat said during the meeting, Kejriwal had suggested that no good officer should be transferred out from the Education Department of the government without any substitute.

"However, there is no proposal to transfer any officer from Education Department, GNCTD. As only those officers who are not working in Education Department, but merely drawing salary without their physical presence in the department are proposed for transfer so as to facilitate for drawal of salary from proper salary head. Regarding two officers who are proposed for transfer from the Election Department, Chief Minister also suggested that these officers who are not clear from Vigilance angle should not be posted in Education Department, GNCTD which is accordingly amended," the Secretariat said.

It reiterated that a lie is being spread that NCCSA is transferring officers from Education Department.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said the problem with CM Arvind Kejriwal is that he wants entire administrative system to run as per his dictates.

"He has no respect to constitutional or administrative norms. He wants to run administration on his whims, and runs the only government in the country that steals files from officers' chambers after midnight," he added.

The first meeting of the NCCSA was held on June 20.

Addressing a press conference following the first meeting of the NCCSA, Kejriwal had termed the NCCSA a "farce" and a "conspiracy to not let the elected government do any work in Delhi".

He had claimed that through the NCCSA, the Centre wants to make it look like the body takes important decisions for Delhi mutually. But in reality, that is not the case, he had said.

The Centre's National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance came a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi -- excluding police, public order and land -- to the city's elected government.