Friction, inquires against AAP govt: A look at Delhi Chief Secy Naresh Kumar’s tenure

His tenure has seen several run-ins with the AAP-Delhi government as he, in his role as Chief Vigilance Officer, had initiated several enquiries against the latter including into the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy. This led to investigations by the CBI and the ED and the arrests of two senior AAP leaders — former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh — as well as AAP’s communication in-charge Vijay Nair. The ED had also summoned Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the excise case, which he refused to attend.

Other major cases in which Kumar initiated enquiries include the renovation of the CM’s bungalow and Feedback Unit.

Last month, a contentious piece of land in the national capital, compensation for which was increased from Rs 41.52 crore to Rs 353.79 crore, leading to action against an IAS officer, was at the centre of a fresh row and a complaint was filed with the Centre as well as the Delhi government alleging that the son-in-law of one of the landowners is the director in a firm that employs the son of the Delhi chief secretary.

Kumar, however, had said he does not know the directors of his son’s firm, and that it was, in fact, he who took action against the IAS officer.
Amid the constant friction, the AAP government had written to the Centre and the L-G several times demanding Kumar’s removal from the post.

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His stints in Delhi have been numerous. He was chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Council between 2015 and 2019. He also served as the Deputy Commissioner in East and South Delhi in his initial years, and as Additional Commissioner and Joint Secretary, Urban Development Department and MCD.

He served as the managing director and chairperson of the Delhi Transport Corporation between 2009 and 2011.
With a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, he pursued a certificate course in management from Duke University, US.