Defending his decision of appointing senior IAS officer Shakuntla D. Gamlin as officiating Chief Secretary of Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Saturday said his secretariat had “not taken a single decision which was in non-conformity with the provisions of the Constitution”.
The L-G’s statement came in response to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s letter to him earlier in the day in which the former accused him of “bypassing the democratically elected government” and appointing an officer of his choice as acting Chief Secretary.
Issuing a statement to the media, Mr. Jung said he will respond to the letter of the Chief Minister in due course but added that the issue needed clarification as the Chief Minister’s letter had “appeared in public domain”.
“It is reiterated that the Lt. Governor has acted fully conscious of his duties and responsibilities under the Constitution of India. Till date not a single action taken by the Lt. Governor’s Secretariat is in non-conformity with the provisions of the Constitution,” the statement issued from the Raj Niwas read.
“In the instant case, the Hon’ble Chief Minister was duly consulted on file and the relevant note sheet is in public domain. The delay on the part of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of over 40 hours necessitated a direction from the Lt. Governor that orders be issued. It is a given fact that the office of the Chief Secretary cannot be left vacant. The Chief Secretary is required not just for normal work but for any emergency that may come up,” the statement further read.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia - who also happens to hold the charge of services department which issues orders pertaining to transfers and postings of IAS, DANICS and other officers in Delhi government – earlier blamed the L-G for buckling under “political pressures”.
Reacting to the letter written by power minister Satyendra Jain to the CM a week before demanding removal of Ms Gamlin as power secretary for “aggressively lobbying for Reliance-owned power distribution companies”, the statement said that the L-G secretariat regretted the “insinuation against a respected senior civil servant” and added that the complaint “will be examined as per procedure”.
Jung said the issue needed clarification as the CM’s letter had ‘appeared in public domain’
