JOIN USDelhi Police personnel were posted outside the office of Home Secretary Dharam Pal in the Secretariat on Monday to prevent any illegal carrying away of files from his room to any other official’s desk.
The move to seek the police help by the office staff of Dharam Pal, who was given the home department’s work by Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung and the Centre, seems aimed at ensuring that the Delhi government-appointed Home Secretary Rajendra Kumar does not get access to files of the department.
“We have posted policemen to prevent any forcible attempt to take away the files,” said an aide of Dharam Pal, whose work in the home department was earlier given to Rajendra Kumar by the Delhi government but the decision was quickly reversed by the Centre.
The deployment of cops in the Secretariat came in the backdrop of afternoon meeting of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who is believed to have told the Delhi government to follow the Constitution and respect the existing division of power over transfer and posting of officials in the city.
While the Centre has already reversed Kejriwal’s decision to strip Dharam Pal of the home department’s work, the Delhi government is insisting that Kumar is the Home Secretary.
Both the officials are of Principal Secretary rank. Dharam Pal was given home department’s work by the Lieutenant-Governor, with the Centre’s approval, and Rajendra Kumar, who is currently serving as secretary to the chief minister, was given additional charge of the home department by the Delhi government.
On Monday, staff members of both Dharam Pal and Rajendra Kumar claimed that their respective bosses were looking after the home department’s files.
Sources said the Centre and Jung are sending their office files related to home department to Dharam Pal while Delhi government departments are sending their files related to home department to Rajendra Kumar.
The Aam Aadmi Party government on June 9 gave Rajendra Kumar additional charge of the home department. However, this move to replace Dharam Pal was rejected by the Union government as “ab initio void”.
Later, Chief Secretary K K Sharma wrote to Rajendra Kumar not to create any hindrance for Dharam Pal in discharging his duties as the Home Secretary. Two days ago, the Union home ministry indicated that it might proceed against the Delhi-government-appointed “Home Secretary” if he continues to create problems for Dharam Pal.
In a new twist, Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain recently warned of “disciplinary and administrative action” against Dharam Pal – appointed as Home Secretary by the L-G with the Union government’s approval – if he continues to occupy the Home Secretary’s room on the fifth floor of the Delhi Secretariat.
“Dharam Pal has already been relieved by the Delhi government from the afternoon of June 9 and if he continues to occupy office in the secretariat, the same would be considered unauthorised occupation, and he would be liable for administrative as well as disciplinary action,” said a note signed by Jain.
Source close to Dharam Pal said he had not received any warning or communication from Jain for vacating the fifth floor office.