The AAP Government recently appointed senior IAS officer Anindo Majumdar as the CMD of Delhi Finance Corporation, days after he was removed from the post of Principal Secretary of the Services Department.
The Government further appointed IAS officer Parimal Rai as Principal Secretary for Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Department.
Majumdar was removed by the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as Principal Secretary of the Services Department on May 16. The action was taken in the wake of a notification issued appointing senior bureaucrat Shakuntla Gamla as the acting Chief Secretary following the instruction of Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.
The Lt Governor, on the same evening, had declared the order to transfer Majumdar, but AAP Government did not allow him to resume his duties and had appointed Rajendra Kumar as Principal Secretary of the Services Department.
The State Government chose Rai for the post of acting Chief Secretary.
There was some tussle between Lt Governor, Jung and the Government after Gamlin’s appointment as acting Chief Secretary by the Lt Governor. In the wake of it, Kejriwal questioned Jung’s authority and accused him of trying to take over the administration.
In spite of Kejriwal’s strong opposition, Jung had appointed Gamlin to the post as Chief Secretary, whereas K K Sharma had taken a 10-day-long leave.
Amid the confrontation, the Union Home Ministry on May 21 had issued a notification giving absolute powers to the Lt Governor in appointment of bureaucrats and issues relating to police and public order.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had termed the Home Ministry’s notification as “suspect” and noted that the Lt Governor is bound to act upon the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
Following the order of the court, the Delhi Government had effected a bureaucratic reshuffle transferring nine senior officials.