Kejriwal warns Delhi bureaucrats of ‘serious consequences’ for not following orders

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal wrote a letter to Baijal stating that the power to transfer and appoint officers lies with the Council of Ministers and that a May 21, 2015 notification of Union Ministry.
DERC Chairperson Satyendra Singh Chauhan (L) with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Power Minister Satyendar Jain  (Photo | Parveen Negi)
DERC Chairperson Satyendra Singh Chauhan (L) with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Power Minister Satyendar Jain (Photo | Parveen Negi)

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia will meet Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Friday to discuss the Supreme Court verdict saying that the L-G was bound to act on the advice of the elected government. However, the row between the government and the city bureaucrats has escalated a day after the verdict, with the CM and the deputy CM threatening to take action against the officials for refusing to comply with the government order on transfers and postings.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal wrote a letter to Baijal stating that the power to transfer and appoint officers lies with the Council of Ministers and that a May 21, 2015 notification of Union Ministry of Home Affairs, according to which services matter lies with the L-G, is “infructuous” after the SC verdict. After the judgment, the government had on Wednesday introduced a new system for transfer and postings of bureaucrats, making the chief minister the approving authority. But the services department rejected the government order saying it was “legally wrong”. A separate bench was hearing the case pertaining to the matter and the notification had not yet been quashed, it said.

On Thursday, Kejriwal warned officials of “serious consequences” if they did not obey the SC order. “All officers shud respect and obey SC order. Open defiance of SC order shall invite serious consequences. It will be in no one's interest,” he tweeted. In his twitter post, Sisodia said, “Have directed again Secretary Services to issue the orders as directed yesterday. Informed the officer that non-compliance would lead to contempt of SC and the officer shall face disciplinary proceedings (sic).”

In his letter to Bailjal, too, Kejriwal asserted, “…The executive power related to services lies with the Council of Ministers”. He wrote that though the MHA notification had not been quashed specifically, “it becomes infructuous in the light of such clear order from the Supreme Court”.        

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