Interim in-charge says DCW appointment illegal

NEW DELHI: A senior bureaucrat, given temporary charge as member-secretary of DCW by LG last week, has shot off a letter to DCW chief

Swati Maliwal

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Dilraj Kaur has cautioned Maliwal that P P Dhal shouldn't continue in his post as officiating member-secretary as his appointment was “illegal“. All decisions taken by Dhal, Kaur has warned, would be untenable and “attract penal action“.

In response, Maliwal wrote to the LG, saying that she was shocked by the letter, which reflected “utter disrespect and disregard“ to the directions of the chief minister. “...going beyond her jurisdiction, she has threatened the government-appointed officiating member-secretary with penal action,“ Maliwal said in her letter.

Earlier this month, CM Arvind Kejriwal had directed chief secretary

M M Kutty

and Maliwal not to allow Kaur to function as DCW member-secretary . Maliwal had argued that Kaur couldn't be in that post as she was already the social welfare and women and child development secretary . Yet, Maliwal said, she received anote from Kaur on December 14, stating that she had assumed charge. Maliwal said the Commission informed Kaur of the chief minister's decision and even sent her a copy of the note.

But Kaur countered Maliwal's point on Monday by saying that she had joined on orders by the services department. “The said order unambiguously mandates me to assume additional charge...till further orders,“ Kaur wrote. She added, “Your letter, inter alia, also states that P P Dhal has already assumed charge and is presently working as member-secretary on officiating basis. In this regard, it is pertinent to underscore that since the competent authority has already issued specific orders posting an officer on the said post, any further continuation of Dhal as member-secretary on officiating basis is unauthorised and illegal and devoid of any statutory or administrative basis.“

Maliwal took to Twitter to vent her ire: “Despite CM order, WCD secretary again asserted shes (sic) member secretary of DCW. Mockery of democracy . Written to LG to stop this war against DCW.Let us function.“ She tweeted again: “578 days remaining of my tenure. Want to work day n night. ACB, three audits, member secretary chaos--deliberate attempts to thwart r function. Please let me work (sic).“

Maliwal went on to warn that DCW and its programmes would close down and the staff would leave if the salaries weren't paid. This war of words now threatens to escalate the tensions between the AAP government and the bureaucracy to an all-new level.