L-G dissolves Delhi government’s think tank DDCD; illegal, will approach court, says AAP

The Delhi government termed Saxena’s decision “illegal, unconstitutional and without jurisdiction”, adding that it will challenge his order in the courts. The AAP government said the DDCD comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Chief Minister and only he has powers to take action on its members.

“Ostensibly, the Commission was created to serve as a policy think-tank manned by domain experts, on the lines of the Planning Commission/NITI Aayog, so as to provide inputs of governance…It was not meant to accommodate favoured individuals, unelected friends or politically partisan people,” Saxena stated in his note on the matter.

The DDCD was established in February 2015, and the positions of its Vice-Chairperson and Non-official Members were to be co-terminus, or coinciding with the term of the incumbent government.

Though these positions, Saxena noted, started out as honorary they were later converted into “highly paid and perked positions” with the rank, pay and facilities of the Vice-Chairperson equivalent to a Delhi government Minister and those of non-official members to a Secretary to the Government of India.

“…these positions were initially made honorary in nature to facilitate appointments solely on political considerations. As such, no transparent process of identification, screening and selection of suitable candidates had been then framed,” Saxena stated, adding that these were “arbitrary” and made without following due process, rendering them void ab-initio.

“The incumbent Vice-Chairperson…has already been restrained to function on the post due to his political activities and Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Chairman DDCD is in a judicial custody in a money laundering case…the continuation of non-official Members…drawing huge salaries is not only undesirable but also patently illegal…it is a blatant and clear case of nepotism and favouritism in utter disregard of all rules…” he added, giving his nod for rescinding the appointment orders of the body’s non-official members.

Responding to the move, the AAP government alleged that Saxena’s sole purpose in dissolving the DDCD was to “stop all the works of Delhi government”, adding that it had been constituted in April 2016 following due approval by the then L-G.

“In brazen disregard of existing rules and laws as well as decisions of his predecessors, L-G Saxena acting in collusion with officers of the Services Department, has chosen to exceed the jurisdiction of his office and tried to usurp the powers of the elected Chief Minister of Delhi by taking action on DDCD,” the government said.

“It is categorically stated that the appointment process for Vice Chairperson and Members of DDCD is similar to the process followed for public commissions in all state governments across India, including in BJP governments,” it further stated.

“The sole purpose of L-G’s illegal order is to stop all works and policy reforms being carried out by the Kejriwal Government. In the process of hating the elected government under CM Arvind Kejriwal, LG Vinai Saxena has started hating the people of Delhi,” it added.