NCCSA first meet: Arvind Kejriwal hits out at new panel & BJP, decides to call another meet

Shortly after the first meeting, the Chief Minister called for another sitting — this time at the camp office in his Civil Lines residence on June 28 — to take decisions regarding posting of civil servants.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

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AFTER ATTENDING the first meeting of the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA), which was formed last month through an ordinance brought in by the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the proceedings of the Authority were futile and its existence unconstitutional and undemocratic. He said the Authority is a mere ploy by the BJP to run a government in Delhi through “deceit”.

Shortly after the first meeting, the Chief Minister called for another sitting — this time at the camp office in his Civil Lines residence on June 28 — to take decisions regarding posting of civil servants.

The Authority is headed by the Chief Minister, with the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary of the Home Department as members. Allmatters required to be decided by it should be by a “majority of votes of the members present and voting”, which effectively means that the decision of the Chief Minister can be overruled by the two senior bureaucrats appointed by the Centre.

Kejriwal’s office said he had received a proposal from the Services department for three types of requests — departments requesting the transfer of certain officers, departments seeking the posting of officers against vacant positions, and individual officer requests for transfer/postings.

His office also said that he had received complaints from “many officers that the Services department is selectively and arbitrarily processing requests for transfers and postings” and that several requests for transfers were pending for long.

Kejriwal sent the file back, instructing the Chief Secretary, who is the member-secretary of the NCCSA, to compile and present all the requests falling under the three categories over the past six months by Wednesday evening. He also directed the Chief Secretary to provide reasons for rejecting or sitting on requests.

After Tuesday’s meeting, where a unanimous decision was taken to initiate disciplinary proceedings against an official of the Delhi Forensic Science Laboratory, Kejriwal targeted the BJP government at the Centre at a press conference.

“After losing the state Assembly elections three consecutive times, the BJP-led central government is very cunningly trying to take control of the city through this ordinance,” Kejriwal alleged.

The NCCSA was established after the President promulgated an ordinance on May 19, empowering it to make “recommendations” to the L-G regarding “transfer posting, vigilance and other incidental matters”. This was days after the Supreme Court on May 11 delivered its verdict, vesting powers of transferring and posting officers with the elected Delhi government.

Kejriwal said the AAP government will file an appeal against the ordinance in the the Supreme Court, adding that his party had the support of several opposition parties to ensure that the ordinance gets rejected in the Rajya Sabha.

“The central government has added several provisions through which there is a Centre-appointed officer to review every decision that is taken by the elected government of Delhi. There is a government officer who will now vet even the decisions of the Cabinet of the Delhi government,” Kejriwal alleged.

Stating that the ordinance had ensured that a Centre-appointed officer was “the highest authority” over and above a minister chosen by the elected government in each department, he said the ordinance required that every decision taken in the Cabinet be “authorised by the L-G and the Chief Secretary”.

“It is only for formality that they have created the NCCSA… Because the Centre has complete control over the Services and Vigilance, it will eventually have complete control over whatever is happening in Delhi. So, clearly the attempt of the Centre is to run Delhi through the medium of bureaucrats,” he said.