Deputy Speaker, AAP MLA slam chief secretary for ‘hiding facts’ before Delhi High Court

Deputy Speaker Rakhi Birla

The Deputy Speaker of Delhi Assembly, Rakhi Birla, and Aam Aadmi Party MLA, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Tuesday accused Delhi Chief Secretary MM Kutty of “misleading” and “hiding facts” before the Delhi High Court in the matter regarding illegal appointments and promotions in Delhi Nagrik Sahkari Bank. The Indian Express had reported on the discrepancies on October 4.

They were speaking in the backdrop of Delhi High Court’s Monday’s order, where it had stayed two notices issued to chief secretary M M Kutty by the Question and Reference Committee of the Delhi Assembly. The Assembly committee had issued Kutty a showcause notice for not following its directions to incorporate adverse remarks against a bureaucrat in the Annual Confidential Report (ACR). This sources in the committee maintained had to do with the ‘illegal recruitment” of 40 people and promotions of 60 others, which the RCS itself had flagged and terminated after the discovery.

Subsequently, Kutty had moved the High Court seeking directions to the committee to stay the notices, besides restraining it from initiating any breach of privilege/contempt proceedings.

Bharadwaj, who is also the head of the committee, said Kutty did not bring to the notice of the court that he was asked to present the status of the action taken by him on the recommendation of the committee on May 18, 2017.
“He was also asked to present the status report on September 28, 2017 which he failed to comply with and instead sought more time. He did not highlight the fact that it was he who insisted on rescheduling the next meeting originally sought to be scheduled for October 4, 2017 to October 16, 2017,” said Bharadwaj.

The chief secretary had misrepresented before the Delhi High Court as grant of mere one hour by the Committee, in lieu of 10 days time that he had asked for, said the Deputy Speaker. The Assembly committee is probing alleged irregularities in spending and appointments at the Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank. The matter was first raised in the Delhi Assembly in January this year. The committees had raised questions about the “illegal recruitment” of 40 people and promotions of 60 others. The Registrar of Cooperative Societies had terminated the services of the 40 people and reversed the 62 promotions. Kutty could not be contacted for comment.