Following the direction of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Monday relieved Principal Secretary (land and building) Dharampal from Delhi Government.
The Home Ministry’s order came on September 11. Dharampal - a 1988 batch IAS officer - was transferred to department of fertilisers in Central Government two month ago but the AAP Government did not relieve him saying that that Delhi Government had transferred him three months ago when he was holding the charge of Principal Secretary (Home). And despite lieutenant Governor’s directions, chief secretary KK Sharma failed to relieve Dharampal.
Dharampal had hit the headlines after he was removed by the Arvind Kejriwal Government from the post of Principal Secretary (Home) for appointing joint commissioner of police M K Meena as the head of the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB).
“The Home Ministry conveyed the decision of Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, that Dharampal has been appointed as joint secretary in the department of fertilizers on August 31, 2015 and requested the Delhi Government to relieve him immediately to take up his new assignment. Till date he has not been relieved so far. It is requested that necessary steps may be taken to relieve Dharampal to take up the new assignment as joint secretary, department of fertilizers,” the order, issued by MHA, said.
Meanwhile, the MHA has directed the Delhi Government to relieve VAT Commissioner Vijay Kumar, a 1992 batch officer, closed to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kumar was transferred as administrator of lakshwadeep on July 28, 2015, but he was not relieved.
Kejriwal had complaint to Union Home Minister Raj Nath Singh on the transfer of Kumar and about the Centre’s interference in the day-to-day functioning of his city Government. Similarly, Kunal, deputy commissioner of East Delhi and 2005 batch officer was transferred to Goa in April 8, 2015 but he was not relieved.
According to sources, when the AAP administration failed to relieve Dharampal, he approached the newly constituted body Civil Services Board headed by chief secretary KK Sharma and he also approached the MHA seeking their help to relieve from Delhi Government.
Even the l-G had ordered twice to Chief Secretary to relieve Dharampal at his own level. But when chief secy failed to relieve him, the MHA had issued order to l-G to relieve Dharampal with immediate effect. Dharampal got into the wrong books of the AAP Government after he acted on the instructions of the l-G to appoint Meena as the head of the anti-graft body. The AAP Government was in favour of additional commissioner of police S S Yadav to lead the ACB. Things had come to such a pass that Kejriwal immediately removed Dharampal from the home department and appointed his trusted lieutenant and secretary Rajendra Kumar as secretary (home).
This was perhaps for the first time that the Home Department was being headed by two officers. While some of the files were being routed through Dharampal, others were being put up before Kumar. This had prompted Dharampal to seek the help of the Delhi Police to put up a 24 x 7 guard around his office so that no files were moved without his prior approval.
The matter related to the head of the Principal Secretary (home) was finally settled after the Union home ministry agreed to give charge of the department to Principal secretary (finance) S N Sahay, who had emerged as a concensus candidate. Soon after Sahay was appointed as the Principal secretary (home), the Union home ministry transferred Dharampal in the land and building department.