Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj writes to L-G over transfer of Services secretary

Change in secretary (Services) is a very routine matter and not a fit case for exercise of difference of opinion, Bharadwaj said

Delhi Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday requested Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to clear a file related to the transfer of Services Secretary Ashish More, saying several administrative changes were held up due to the delay.

In a letter to the L-G, Bharadwaj said the Delhi government had sent the file two days back.

More was transferred hours after a Supreme Court order on May 11 put the control of bureaucrats working with the Delhi government (excluding those related to police, public order, and land) under the elected government.

Urging Saxena to clear the file soon, Bharadwaj said, "We had sent a proposal to change the Secretary (Services) two days back."

The elected government of Delhi wishes to make several administrative changes, for which replacing the services secretary is important. A lot of work is held up due to the delay in clearance, he said.

The constitution bench of the Supreme Court has said in its two judgements that the L-G should exercise the power of difference of opinion in the rarest of rare cases, the minister said.

Change in secretary (Services) is a "very routine matter and not a fit case for exercise of difference of opinion," he said.

The L-G can reserve any subject matter for referring to the President in case there is a difference of opinion between him and the ruling dispensation in Delhi.

Bharadwaj further said the Supreme Court, in its 2018 judgement, had said that files should not be sent to the L-G for his approval, only decisions should be conveyed.

However, the GNCTD Amendment Act overturned the SC judgement, he said.

"Now, we have to send all routine files also to the L-G. This GNCTD Amendment Act is under challenge in the Supreme Court," the minister said.