Ensure IAS officer Rajasekhar attends meeting on complaint against him, Delhi Assembly panel tells CS

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly's Committee on Welfare of SC/STs on Thursday wrote to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar expressing its displeasure over Special Secretary (Services) YVVJ Rajasekhar's failure to appear before it in connection with allegations that he "misbehaved" with a man.

The committee also asked Kumar to ensure that Rajasekhar, who is at loggerheads with the AAP dispensation, attends its next meeting on June 13.

The committee had summoned Rajasekhar in connection with allegations that he "misbehaved" with a man, Nakul Kashyap, and "used words about Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) people that he should not have said" when he met the IAS officer regarding his application for appointment on compassionate grounds in the health department in place of his father.

In its letter, the committee said it had asked Rajasekhar to appear before it to present his version of the matter on June 6 but he did not attend the meeting, which showed his "irresponsible attitude".

"About eight minutes before the start of the meeting at 4:45 pm on June 6, a letter was received from Rajasekhar in which he told that the subject of appointment on compassionate grounds came under the Services Department (and) that was outside the jurisdiction of the committee," it said.

It appeared from his letter that he was not taking the committee meeting seriously, it added.

The committee said the complaint against Rajasekhar was sent to it by the Delhi Assembly speaker for taking cognisance so that the constitutional right of SCs and STs to social justice and protection from "humiliation" is not violated.

The committee asked Chief Secretary Kumar to order the special secretary to send the file related to the complaint to it by June 12 with details of the complainant's application for appointment on compassionate grounds and the number of times he met the officer.

It directed Kumar to ensure that Rajasekhar appears before the committee during its meeting on June 13 to present his account of the matter and cooperate with its proceedings.

Rajasekhar, in his letter to the committee, had sought two weeks' time to appear before the committee with relevant records and facts related to the allegation against him.

Rajasekhar was earlier divested of his charge of special secretary of Vigilance and Services. However, he was reinstated a week later after an ordinance was issued by the Centre bringing Services matters under the lieutenant governor's control.