Shakuntala Gamlin takes charge as Delhi chief secretary despite CM Arvind Kejriwal's directive

NEW DELHI: Shakuntala Gamlin on Saturday took charge as the acting Chief Secretary of the Delhi Government despite being asked by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal not to do so. A senior Delhi government official said that in his letter to Gamlin, Kejriwal has said that her appointment is against the set rule. In view of this, she should not take charge as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi.

The candidate backed by the AAP government declined the post. Kejriwal's directive came a day after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung gave the additional charge of Chief Secretary to Gamlin, a 1984-batch IAS officer, hours after she wrote a scathing letter to Jung claiming that she was pressured by a senior bureaucrat in CM's office not to be in race for the post due to her alleged proximity to BSES discoms.

Slamming the LG's move, the AAP government had said the LG cannot bypass the elected government and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and that he acted against "the Constitution, GNCT of Delhi Act and the Transaction of Business Rules."

Jung had promptly rebutted the AAP government's allegations saying under Article 239 AA of the Constitution of India, the the Lt Governor is the representative of State Authority in Delhi.

In its claim, the Delhi government said BJP was attempting to carry out a "coup" against it through Najeeb Jung.

"The BJP through LG of Delhi has attempted a coup against the democratically elected government of Delhi with highest ever mandate in the history of the state.

"This is for the first that LG is issuing direct instruction to officers, bypassing the chief ministers and council of ministers," Manish Sisodia, who also holds charge of Services department, told PTI.

Calling LG's move an act "against the constitution", Sisodia said, "I was not informed by LG and he does not have power to issue direct instructions to officers. He has clearly acted against constitution and laws relevant to Delhi."