Delhi govt. digs in its heels, rejects order to reinstate Vigilance Special Secretary 

The ongoing tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Centre over the Services Department got further complicated on Tuesday, with Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj rejecting an order to reinstate Special Secretary (Vigilance) Y.V.V.J. Rajasekhar.

The ongoing tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Centre over the Services Department got further complicated on Tuesday, with Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj rejecting an order to reinstate Special Secretary (Vigilance) Y.V.V.J. Rajasekhar.

In an office memorandum, Mr. Bharadwaj, who holds the portfolios of Services and Vigilance, asserted that he was the competent authority in the matter and Mr. Rajasekhar, Special Secretary in Vigilance and Services Departments, remained divested of all his duties.

Mr. Rajasekhar, who was divested of all his work by Mr. Bharadwaj on May 13 after the Supreme Court’s May 11 judgment handing over the reins of Services to the elected government, was reinstated on Monday through an order from the office of the Secretary (Vigilance).

Monday’s order had said Mr. Rajasekhar will resume work “as usual” and directed the Vigilance Department officials “to maintain the status as on May 10 with respect to workflow”. This was the first major Services-related order since the Centre wrested back control of the department through an ordinance on May 19.

Mr. Bharadwaj, however, said the Centre’s ordinance does not talk about the allocation of work within the department and, as per the Supreme Court’s May 11 order, he remains the “competent authority for all aspects of work within the department”.

Saying that Monday’s order was not approved by him, the AAP Minister termed it “unauthorised” and declared it “invalid and illegal”.

“No action should be taken as a result of this order,” he wrote, instituting an inquiry into it.