A 17-year-old case, assault charges: What brought about the exit of CM Kejriwal’s personal secretary Bibhav Kumar

Sources said that Kumar was part of a protest in Noida when the allegations were made and an FIR registered.

Kumar, one of the five people allowed to visit Kejriwal in Tihar, where he is lodged after being arrested in the Delhi excise policy case, has known the Delhi CM for over 15 years. He manages Kejriwal’s official and personal engagements and is also close to his family members.

On Monday, Kumar was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to the excise policy case.

Special Secretary Vigilance YVVJ Rajshekhar, in an order for termination of engagement, passed on April 10, 2024, cited the pending case and said he was not cleared for service from a “vigilance angle” at the time of his appointment.

A show-cause notice, calling his appointment illegal, was issued to Kumar by the Vigilance Department in November. In response, he had said that the details of the case had already been disclosed to authorities and there had been no material change in the circumstance of the case since the appointment.

According to sources, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is exploring the option to challenge the termination of services in the Central Administrative Tribunal.

In the order, Rajasekhar also wrote that charges against Kumar were “grave in nature” and the case is at the stage of evidence.

Quoting an office memorandum by the Department of Personnel and Training, the order said, “Any serious lapse in the verification procedure could result in appointment of persons in the personal staff of Ministers, MP and other government bodies, who are otherwise not eligible to man the post. This is fraught with dangers because such persons could also have access to sensitive information and data.”

It also stated that the services were terminated as his appointment was in violation of Central Civil Service Rules related to temporary appointment.