Delhi government suspends CM's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar

The Delhi Government on Wednesday suspended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar, as the rules state that an official is deemed suspended if he remains in custody for more than 48 hours.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Tuesday remanded all five accused, including Rajendra Kumar, to five-day police custody in a corruption case. The CBI had sought 10-day police custody of Rajendra Kumar and four others in connection with this case. Producing Kumar and other co-accused before the Patiala House Court in New Delhi on Tuesday, the CBI informed that the Principal Secretary was not cooperating during the interrogation.

The investigating agency further said their custody was needed to investigate the money trail. The court, however, questioned the CBI that when the case was registered in December 2015 then what was the need to arrest Kumar now. The CBI, in its reply, said Kumar is a highly placed bureaucrat and a fair investigation cannot be done if he intimidates witnesses in the case. The CBI claimed that Kumar intimidated witnesses.

According to CBI sources, Kumar has been charged with abusing his official position to award contracts to M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd. and securing government tenders worth Rs. 9.5 crore between 2007 and 2014 for the company. Kumar has been booked under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI sources said Kumar emerged as the kingpin of the 50 crore scam, which first became active in 2006. The CBI had in December last year raided Kumar's office at the Delhi Secretariat in this connection. Kumar had moved an appeal before a special court in March this year seeking the release of his laptop, iPad and cash seized by the CBI. A trial court had in April also ordered the de-freezing of two bank accounts of M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd. The Delhi High Court had then stayed the trial court's order allowing for de-freezing of accounts of M/s Endeavour Systems Pvt. Ltd.

BJP's stand

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday asked what did Kumar have on the Delhi Government that would probably be harmful to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that it is fighting tooth and nail to protect him. "Now they are fighting tooth and nail to protect him or to give him a certificate of honesty. What is it that Rajendra Kumar knows that will probably be harmful to them if it comes out in the open space? Why are they so keen to protect someone that the court is finding evidence to put him in judicial remand?," BJP leader Nalin Kohli said.

Kohli asked as to what was the value of the AAP's claims of honesty when Narendra Tomar's fake degree row made headlines. "Who are they and what is the value of their certificate? What is their certificate of honesty? In the case of Tomar, did he not have a false degree? Was that the certificate of honesty? What about all the questions that were asked by the colleagues who left their party in terms of the internal mechanism?" he added.

He said the certificate of the AAP was only a certificate of convenience, especially for those who meet their political ends. Kohli stated there were enquiries against Rajendra Kumar by the vigilance and complaints had gone to the Chief Minister, yet Kejriwal chose to keep him in his office. Escalating his attack on the Delhi Government, Kohli said the AAP tries to corner the Prime Minister, as they have nothing else to show. "They can't match the work of the Central Government and they certainly have no agenda of work. So it's part of their allegation and accusation policy," he added.