Home Ministry plans action against Delhi Home Secretary Rajender Kumar for disobeying order

NEW DELHI: The Home Ministry may take disciplinary action against senior IAS officer Rajender Kumar, who continues to hold the post of Home Secretary in the Delhi government despite clear instruction to relinquish it.

Official sources said a show cause notice will be served to Kumar, who is also Secretary to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, for disobeying the Home Ministry order to relieve the post of Delhi's Home Secretary, which he took over following a Delhi government order.

Kumar assumed the charge of Delhi Home Secretary after the city government shifted incumbent senior IAS officer Dharam Pal and placed him at the disposal of the Home Ministry following a tussle between the AAP government and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung over appointment of Mukesh Meena as chief of Delhi's Anti Corruption Branch.

The Home Ministry has revoked the decision of Delhi government to repatriate its Principal Secretary (Home) and (Land and Buildings) Dharam Pal to the Centre terming it "ab initio void" and asserted that powers to transfer AGMUT cadre officers rests only with the Centre.

The Ministry has also cancelled the appointment of Ashwani Kumar, AGMUT cadre IAS of 1992 batch, as new Secretary (Land and Building) in the Delhi government.