Kejriwal removes senior bureaucrat after SC gave administrative powers to Delhi government

Hours after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Delhi government, declaring that it has legislative and executive powers over the administration of services, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday sacked senior bureaucrat Ashish More.

More, secretary of the Delhi government services department, will be replaced by former Delhi Jal Board director general AK Singh. Singh is a 1995 batch IAS officer (AGMUT cadre). More's removal is seen as the first of many as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a major change in the coming days and also warned of a crackdown on officers obstructing public works.

The chief minister thanked the judges for doing justice to Delhi and said the speed of work would increase manifold in the national capital. He also urged the Center not to create obstacles in the work of the government in Delhi. "The Supreme Court has strictly declared that the powers of the Delhi government, which were taken away by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Center in 2015, were unconstitutional and their sole motive was the failure of the AAP government," Kejriwal said at a press conference.

The AAP National Convener further stated that a lot of time has already been wasted and said that the development work will now proceed 10 times faster than before. Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers also met Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena and sought his blessings on the journey ahead.

According to a news agency report, the meeting at the Delhi Secretariat lasted for nearly 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, reacting to the Supreme Court verdict, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the party respects the verdict. However, he said the BJP is worried that the SC verdict will lead to a remittance industry in the state capital.