Will Atishi be Arvind Kejriwal’s substitute? No end to suspense over who will hoist Tricolour at Delhi govt Independence Day event

The GAD organises annual Independence Day celebrations at Chhatrasal Stadium, where the Delhi chief minister hoists the national flag as per tradition and rules.

This year, because Kejriwal has been in custody since March due to the excise policy case, the AAP convener, nominated Atishi to replace him in a letter to Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena on August 6.

On Monday, the Tihar administration, citing prison rules, warned the Delhi chief minister that the privileges being extended to him would be curtailed if he undertook formal communication like the one written to the L-G nominating Atishi for the role last week as “impermissible activity”.

On Tuesday, Navin Kumar Chaudhary, Additional Chief Secretary, GAD, wrote to Rai stating that Kejriwal’s direction to authorise Atishi to hoist the national flag was “legally invalid and cannot be acted upon”, adding that such communication from Kejriwal from Tihar Jail was not permissible and in contravention of the rules.

Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, reacting to the development, said it was unfortunate that “petty politics” was playing out on such a sacred occasion. “This is very unfortunate that on such a sacred occasion, during Independence, petty politics is being played… I keep reading in newspapers that when conman Sukesh writes a letter, Tihar officials submit it to the L-G, and the L-G takes action on that, but when the elected CM of Delhi writes a letter, the L-G stops the Tihar officials from sending the letter to him…”

“If CM has written a letter in connection with Independence Day, the L-G office just has to call the DG (police chief) office and ask to send it to him, but he has nothing to do with Independence Day,” he added.

The superintendent of jail No. 2, where Kejriwal is lodged, wrote to the chief minister on Monday asking him to refrain from undertaking any such communication in future, citing various provisions of the Delhi Prison Rules, 2018. These, for instance, provide for the content of all letters by prison inmates being limited to private matters, prisoners being allowed to write letters only to their family members, relatives and close friends and the counsels handling their cases, among others.

Curated For You

China denies allegation of harassment of Arunachal woman at Shanghai airport

‘Definitely a misfit’: Supreme Court upholds dismissal of Christian Army officer for refusal to enter Sarva Dharma Sthal

‘Demeaning, humiliating’: BJD’s Rajya Sabha MP shoots off scathing letter to party chief Naveen Patnaik