Kejriwal's personal secretary Bibhav Kumar sacked over illegal appointment

In another setback for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, the Delhi Vigilance Department has now sacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, citing "illegal appointment."

The decision to sack Bibhav Kumar comes in light of a 2007 case against him for 'assault and use of criminal force to obstruct a public servant from doing his duty.'

The vigilance department has said that the employment of a private person is temporary, and a background check regarding his pending criminal case was not conducted.

This development comes after Bibhav Kumar was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

A PTI report had previously stated that the interrogation of Kejriwal's personal secretary was linked to the ED's allegations that at least 36 individuals, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Kumar, had "destroyed or used" 170 phones to conceal evidence of "kickbacks" amounting to thousands of crores of rupees in the excise policy scam case.

Reacting to the development, AAP leader Jasmine Shah said, "First, the Delhi CM is arrested in the fake Delhi liquor case. Now, the LG has begun dismissing his entire staff, including his private secretary."

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra stated, "Bibhav's removal was necessary. Firstly, his appointment was illegal; secondly, he was under investigation in corruption cases; and thirdly, and most importantly, Kejriwal is in jail. His team could potentially destroy evidence and influence witnesses at the behest of the accused in the liquor policy case. Removing him will help ensure a fair investigation."

Besides the dismissal of Bibhav, another issue looms over AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan as the ED reportedly prepares to arrest him. This case, however, is distinct from the alleged liquor policy scam but is related to a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in appointments in the Delhi Waqf Board.

The central probe agency had sought a non-bailable arrest warrant against Khan from a Delhi court on Wednesday. The court has scheduled the matter for April 18, as the probe agency sought additional time to submit supporting documents.

The ED had previously filed a charge sheet against four people in the case, including three purported associates of the Okhla MLA.

Earlier this week, a Delhi court had issued a summons for Khan to appear before it on April 20, following an application by the probe agency seeking the initiation of trial against the legislator for failing to comply with previous summonses.

According to the ED, Khan had not adhered to summonses issued for questioning on January 23, January 31, February 9, February 19, February 26, and March 4.