K.K. Sharma resumes charge as Delhi chief secretary

Delhi Chief Secretary K.K. Sharma, who had gone on a 10-day leave, has resumed charge with effect from Monday, a government official said here.

"K.K. Sharma has resumed the office today," the Delhi government official told IANS.

In the absence of Sharma, a political battle erupted between Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over appointment of the secretaries and other officials in the national capital.

The tussle was triggered by the appointment of senior bureaucrat Shakuntala Gamlin as the acting chief secretary on May 15. Kejriwal accused Gamlin of lobbying for power distribution companies.

The row escalated into a situation where another bureaucrat, Principal Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar, was locked out of his office at the Delhi Secretariat last week.

It was reportedly done on the orders of Kejriwal, as Majumdar had followed Jung's instruction to appoint Gamlin as acting chief secretary.

The turf war over transfers and postings of bureaucrats consequently led to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issuing a gazette notification specifying powers of the Lt. Governor in Delhi.

The MHA notification asserted the Lt. Governor's power on public order and services issues.