Two officials from the Delhi government have been summoned by separate committees of the Delhi assembly following allegations of corruption and making casteist remarks. Ashish More, who recently stepped down as the secretary of the services department after a dispute with Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, and YVVJ Rajasekhar, the special secretary in the services department, have been called before the Petitions Committee and the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, respectively.
More has been asked to appear on Wednesday, while Rajasekhar was initially summoned on Tuesday but requested a two- week extension, citing the need to gather relevant information. The conflict between the two officials began after a Supreme Court judgment on May 11, which granted control of bureaucrats to the elected government, except those in departments related to land, police, and public order.
The disagreement between More and Minister Bharadwaj stemmed from the forwarding of a file for More’s transfer. Eventually, the civil services board transferred More out of the services department. Similarly, Rajasekhar was divested of his charge by the government after allegations of running an extortion racket. However, he denied all accusations against him. Subsequently, the lieutenant governor reinstated Rajasekhar as special secretary following the issuance of an ordinance by the central government on May 19. The ordinance effectively nullified the Supreme Court’s ruling, granting control over services to the lieutenant governor.
The Petitions Committee has received a complaint regarding allegations of land transfer fraud against Ashish More. Previously, five SDMs and one ADM were suspended for their involvement in the same land transfer fraud in Jhangola Village of North district. The allegations suggest that during More’s tenure as the DM of the north district in 2013, he decided on appeals related to illegal land transfers.
In connection with the land transfer issue, chief secretary Naresh Kumar and divisional commissioner Ashwini Kumar have also been summoned by the assembly panel. They have been requested to appear before the panel at 3:45 pm.
Furthermore, the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes received a complaint from Nakul Kashyap, the son of a deceased nursing orderly at Lok Nayak Hospital. The complaint alleges that Rajasekhar made casteist remarks against him.
Ashish More did not provide any comment despite repeated attempts to contact him. Rajasekhar, in his response to the assembly panel, requested a two-week period to gather relevant records and present all the facts related to the allegations. He also stated that service matters fall outside the purview of the assembly. Rajasekhar claimed that the complaint against him was biased and far from the truth.
Hence, two Delhi government officials, Ashish More and YVVJ Rajasekhar, have been summoned by separate committees of the Delhi assembly over allegations of corruption and making casteist remarks. The committees aim to investigate these claims thoroughly and ensure transparency and accountability within the government.
Category: Politics, Government
Tag: Politics, Government, Supreme Court
