Kapil Mishra divested of law portfolio, replaced by Deputy CM Manish Sisodia

NEW DELHI: Three days after he recommended filing of an FIR against former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and expressed apprehension over possible attempts to "remove" him as Delhi Law Minister, Kapil Mishra was divested of the portfolio which was given to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

While the government downplayed it as routine "reallocation" of work, questions are being raised over the move which comes two months into Mishra's appointment after former Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar's resignation over charges of possessing fake degrees.

"This is a big expose and I am afraid that immediately after this, there will be attempts to destablise our government in Delhi and also to remove me from this chair," Mishra had stated in a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mishra had urged Kejriwal to file an FIR against Dikshit in connection with an alleged scam in hiring water tankers which he said had allegedly caused a loss of Rs 400 crore to the state exchequer.

Mishra will continue to hold the charges of Tourism and Water departments. "He has a lot of work with these departments and will be discharging duties accordingly," a government official said.

The Law department is widely seen as being 'jinxed' for the AAP as in its earlier short-lived term in 2013, its then Law Minister Somnath Bharti had kicked up a row following a midnight raid against women of African origin.