Vigilance Minister Atishi has alleged that officials in her department are “threatening” and “harassing” their counterparts in other Delhi government departments to force them to issue “illegal orders”.
In an order on Monday, she directed officials of the other departments to record such conversations using their mobile phones and submit them to her.
She said the strongest possible action would be taken against officials of the Vigilance Department found to be issuing threats.
“Officers say that they get repeated phone calls from certain Vigilance Department officials, threatening that if they don’t issue the said orders, then inquiries would be opened against them and they would be suspended,” read the order issued by Ms. Atishi.
The Minister said threatening or intimidating a civil servant is not only a violation of the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, but also an offence under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
“In case officers are called into the Vigilance Department and threats are made in person, then the official who is being threatened or intimidated should record the conversation on their phone recorder,” the order said.
The order has come amid a tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the BJP-led Centre over the control of bureaucracy in the national capital.
On August 7, Parliament passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023, which gave the Centre control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government.
AAP had earlier said that officials of the Delhi government refused to listen to the orders issued by the Ministers.
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