Page 63 - Delhi Government

Services row: CSB meeting delayed due to chief secy's busy schedule

A meeting of the Civil Services Board (CSB) convened by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Tuesday to consider the AAP government's directions to transfer officers, including Services Department Secretary Ashish More, was delayed due to his busy schedule, official sources said. The meeting could not take place on time as the chief secretary remained busy throughout the day, they said. Services Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj as well as two members of the CSB were waiting for Kumar till 8:30 pm, the government sources said. "The chief secretary was reaching for the meeting and it was expected to begin shortly," a source said. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post on May 11, hours after the Supreme Court order placed the control of bureaucrats working with the Delhi government (excluding those related to police, public order, and land) under the elected government. Earlier, transfers and postings of all Delhi government officers were decided by the Lieutenant Governor

Put on hold actions on L-G's directions: Delhi govt asks its departments

Days after a Supreme Court's order giving it control over services, the Delhi government has asked its various departments to hold back action on directions of Lt Governor V K Saxena issued directly to them in recent months. After the apex court's judgement, directions were issued on May 12 by ministers-in-charge to departments concerned asking them to strictly follow transaction of business rules (TBR) and desist from putting up files before them through the chief secretary. Now, according to a circular issued on Monday by the Delhi government, the various departments have been asked to put on hold implementation of all the directions issued by the LG directly to them in the last few months. Lt Governor Saxena has issued several directions directly to various departments through the chief secretary, "completely bypassing" the elected government, the circular said. The Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in its 2018 order and recent order on May 11 has clearly stated that the L

Chhattisgarh money laundering case: SC pulls ED, says don't create fear

From pulling up ED in Chhattisgarh money laundering case to questioning the source of power of Delhi-LG while nominating 10 aldermen, here are the important cases of the day

HC seeks response of CBSE on plea seeking common syllabus across India

The plea also challenged provisions under the RTE Act which excludes madrasas, Vedic pathshalas and educational institutions imparting religious knowledge

Delhi govt issues showcause to services secretary for disregarding order

The Delhi government has issued a showcause notice to IAS officer and services department secretary Ashish More and threatened disciplinary action against him for not complying with his transfer order and allegedly going incommunicado. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post last Thursday in an order issued hours after the Supreme Court gave the AAP dispensation control over the transfer and posting of officers in the state. No reply has been received from More on the showcause notice issued to him by Services Department Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on May 13, said a Delhi government official. More was unavailable for comments. In a memo to More, Bhardwaj had sought his response within 24 hours over charges that he refused to comply with the transfer order. The services minister also cited that various attempts to communicate with the officer through phone calls as well as WhatsApp messages did not bore any results and he that was "absconding" as he has not informed ab

Delhi govt issues notice to IAS officer for not complying with order

Delhi government has issued a show cause notice to IAS officer and services department secretary Ashish More for not complying with its direction to replace him with a new officer, threatening disciplinary action against him. More was removed by the Delhi government from his post on Thursday last week, hours after the Supreme Court gave the AAP dispensation control over the transfer and posting of officers in the state. No reply from More was received on the show cause notice issued to him by Services Department Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj on May 13, said a Delhi government official. More was unavailable for his comments on the development related to his transfer. Bhardwaj in a memo to More had sought his reply within 24 hours, over charges against him that he refused to comply with the SC verdict and direction to transfer him. The Services minister also cited that various attempts to communicate with the officer through phone calls as well as WhatsApp messages did not bore any resu

SC may grant 3-months extension to Sebi in Adani vs Hindenburg probe

From hearing a plea in the Adani vs Hindenburg case, to Delhi govt's decision to move the court, here are some of the important cases heard today

Delhi govt moves SC saying Centre not initiating transfer of services secy

The Kejriwal government removed the Secretary of the Delhi government's Services department on Thursday evening

Delhi govt, not LG, has power on administration of services: Supreme Court

Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who argued the case for the petitioners, said the verdict was a slap on the antics of the BJP

AAP govt, LG office should work with coordination to serve people: Official

With the Supreme Court clarifying the Constitutional position on the control over services matter in Delhi, the elected AAP government and the office of Lt Governor should now work with "dignity and coordination" to serve the people of Delhi, several former and serving bureaucrats said on Thursday. According to former Delhi government chief secretary Ramesh Negi the administrative setup in the city comprises "two wills" -- one is the will of the President expressed through the Lt Governor, and the second is the will of the people represented by the elected government. "We expect that after the constitutional position on the services matter has been cleared by the Supreme Court, one should not go for positioning this way or that in the interest of the people of the Delhi. There should be synergy between the two sides for greater good of Delhi and its people," he said. The former Delhi Chief secretary said "dignity and coordination" between the elected government and the office of LG

Supreme Court rules in favour of Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi govt vs L-G case

In the Delhi government vs L-G case, the court said, Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over the administration of services except for public order, police, and land

Speed of work in Delhi will increase manifold: Kejriwal after SC verdict

The AAP government swung into action on Thursday after a Supreme Court verdict on the Centre-Delhi services matter with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announcing a major bureaucratic reshuffle in the coming days and warning action against officers who "create hurdles" in public work. In a unanimous verdict, a five-judge constitution bench ruled that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over services except for public order, police and land. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the speed of work in the national capital will increase manifold following the judgement on administration of services as his hands were earlier tied. He also thanked the judges for doing justice with Delhi. Following the verdict, the chief minister met Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena and sought his "blessings" as well as held a meeting with his ministers at the Delhi Secretariat. His meeting with Saxena, with whom the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had a running battle

Delhi govt removes services secretary More; ex-Jal Board CEO to replace him

Secretary of the Delhi government's Services Department Ashish More was removed from his post on Thursday, hours after the Supreme Court gave the AAP dispensation control over the transfer and posting of officers in the city, officials said. Former Delhi Jal Board CEO A K Singh, a 1995-batch (AGMUT cadre) IAS officer, will replace More. Earlier in the day, the apex court pronounced that the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over administration of services except for matters relating to public order, police and land. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in a press conference, said there will be a major administrative reshuffle in the government, warning of action against officers who "obstructed" public work. Prior to the verdict of the court, the Services Department was under the control of Delhi's Lieutenant Governor.

L-G bound by aid and advice of council of ministers of Delhi govt: SC

The lieutenant governor is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers of National Capital Territory of Delhi in matters within the legislative scope of the national capital, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said the term administration with regard to powers of the lieutenant governor cannot be understood as the entire administration of Delhi. Delineating the boundary of powers of the LG, the bench, which also comprised Justices M R Shah, Krishna Murari, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, said he may act in his discretion only in two classes of matters. Firstly, where the matter deals with issues which are beyond the powers of the Legislative Assembly and where the President has delegated the powers and functions to the Lieutenant Governor in relation to such matter; and secondly, matters which by law require him to act in his discretion or where he is exercising judicial or quasi-judicial functions,

Centre, Delhi government need to cooperate with each other, says SC

The Centre and the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) government share a unique federal relationship and they need to cooperate with each other to enhance the spirit of federalism and democracy, the Supreme Court said on Thursday. Observing that NCTD is not subsumed in the unit of the Union merely because it is not a State', a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said principles of federalism and democracy are interlinked and work together in synergy to secure to all citizens justice, liberty, equality and dignity and to promote fraternity among them. The people's choice of government is linked with the capability of that government to make decisions for their welfare, it said. "In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the Union of India must exercise its powers within the boundaries created by the Constitution. NCTD, having a sui generis (unique) federal model, must be allowed to function in the domain charted for it by the Constitution. "T

In a victory for AAP, SC says the Delhi govt has control over services

Delhi vs Centre case: L-G shall exercise powers under the administrative role as entrusted by the President, said the Supreme Court

Delhi v Centre and Shiv Sena cases: Supreme Court to announce verdict today

The verdict will be announced by a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud

Bench to deliver verdict in Delhi govt vs L-G, Maharashtra dispute tomorrow

Tomorrow we have two Constitution Bench judgments to deliver, said CJI

Delhi govt working on food truck policy, will put for public feedback soon

The Delhi Government is working on its food truck policy which will be finalised within the next couple of months and put up for public feedback, officials said. According to officials, meetings have been planned with different stakeholders to discuss the various aspects of the policy. The stakeholders include the MCD, DMRC, traffic police and the Transport Department, they said. "We have identified metro stations and parking sites as hubs for setting up food trucks. But it will have to be seen under which category these trucks can be placed by the Transport department and also the rules governing their plying in Delhi, the official said. We will also need the Delhi Metro and the MCD to be on board since we plan to station these food trucks at metro stations and parking sites," he said. Explaining how the framework is likely to be, the official said that the food trucks will come and go from the site where they will be stationed. They will operate in the night hours -- between 8 p

Give tax exemption to The Kerala Story, hold screenings: BJP to Delhi govt

The Delhi unit of the BJP on Sunday demanded that the AAP government give tax exemption to 'The Kerala Story' film and hold its special screenings for girls in the 15-16 age group in the city. In a letter to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the film was based on the "serious issue of love jihad", "religious conversion" and pushing innocent girls into "terrorism". The Delhi chief minister should promote the film by watching it himself and exempting it from entertainment tax, he said. "The Kerala Story has been given an 'A' certificate for viewing only by adults, while nowadays the danger of love jihad is gravest for the girls of 15-16 years of age. Therefore, the chief minister should contact the Film Censor Board and get it a 'U/A' certificate for Delhi so that more and more girls belonging to the sensitive category can be made aware by showing this film," Kapoor said. He said that besides girl students of classes 11 and 12, those w